Terminator: Ashes
by Equinox1772
Summary: Judgment Day has arrived. The end of civilization as it has been is here. Two twin brothers will learn that their survival means the difference between victory and defeat in the coming war against the machines. Co-write with mikromb13.
1. Come With Me if You Want to Live

**AN: This is a co-write with mikromb13. We do not own Terminator, its characters or plots, nor do we own the Suite Life, its characters or plots. Enjoy!**

_This story opens during the same period of time as the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. It is the eve of Judgment Day…the end of life as it has been known. As John Connor, Kate Brewster, and the T-800 reach the military base where Kate's father is unknowingly about to release Skynet…a pair of seemingly ordinary twin brothers are at school, enjoying the end of a seemingly ordinary day. In less than an hour's time, everything they have ever known will be gone. They don't yet realize the destiny that lies before them or how important their lives will be to the resistance…but they are about to find out…_

_Cheevers High School_

_Boston, MA_

_August 29 - Judgment Day_

Cody Martin sighed as he stared into the computer screen in his computer-aided drafting class. It was the first week of high school and he was already working on a new complex computer program that, if he got it to work right, would advance the CAD program that he and the other students would be using throughout the year. This in turn would make all their upcoming assignments easier. He had asked his new teacher if he could tinker with the program and she had enthusiastically agreed. She knew how intelligent Cody was having heard nothing but good reports about him from her counterparts back at Cody's middle school. She had told him that, if he did manage to do the things he thought he could do to the program, she would make sure he got recognized by the software companies. He rubbed his eyes and got back to work.

Over in the school gymnasium, Zack Martin, Cody's identical twin brother, was engaged in a fierce basketball game. He had gone into the game thinking it would go like the games had gone the year before, when his middle school team pretty much rolled over every other team they had played. This was Zack's first high school game and he was quickly learning that high school basketball was an entirely different animal. The team they were currently facing, from Central Boston High, was giving them a very tough time. At the end of regulation the score was tied at 65. Zack huddled with his other teammates as they discussed their plan of attack in overtime with their coach. The buzzer rang and they broke the huddle returning to battle. Overtime began with both sides trading three point shots and then a pair each of two pointers. Zack caught a pass and swiveled around an opposing defender with a look of determination planted firmly on his face. As he went to pass it over to a teammate, the ball was intercepted. Zack chased after the player and, even though he was one of the shortest players on the team, being a freshman, he managed to swat the players shot attempt away and the ball went into the hands of one of Zack's teammates. Zack ran along parallel to his teammate and got open. The ball was passed to him and he put the ball up for a two point shot as the clock ran down to zero.

In the computer classroom, Cody excitedly announced he had figured it out and hit the final keystroke to his algorithm.

As Zack's winning shot cleared the hoop, and as Cody pushed the button of the keyboard, everything shut down. Lights, computers, scoreboard, everything.

"What the?" Zack and Cody each said in their respective locations.

In the gym, the coaches told the players on both teams to go get changed. Zack and the others found this to be quite a challenge in the dark as the emergency lights did not turn on.

In the computer class Cody was in a state of shock. Since the computers had gone off without Cody being able to save his program, he was pretty sure everything he'd just spent the day working on was gone. The teacher put a hand on Cody's shoulder and tried to assure him they would be able to get the material back once the power came back on.

Since the PA system was inoperable, the administration went room to room instructing teachers to keep their students in their rooms until either the power came back on or the school day ended. The cause of the outage had still not been determined half an hour later.

Outside the school there was a sudden flash of light. Then another, and another. Arcs of lightning flashed out from around a metallic looking sphere. The lightning stopped and the sphere vanished, leaving in its place a nude human-like machine known as a T-800. As its scanners glanced at its surrounds, it almost seemed to smile as it found what it was looking for.

The machine stood and walked quickly towards the school, smashing through a wall and into a classroom. The students and teacher moved back in fear and astonishment as the machine walked in. It seemed to be scanning the teacher before walking up to him grabbing his head and twisting it. The students had no choice but to watch in horror as the machine disrobed their dead teacher and put on his clothes. Next the T-800 seemed to scan each of the students in the room before leaving and systematically began a search of the other rooms. Since there was no way to warn other classrooms, the T-800 caught most of the faculty and students by surprise each time it entered a new classroom.

Outside the school there was another flash of light. The same lightning and metallic sphere formed and a nude man dropped to the ground as the sphere vanished. Dazed and obviously in pain, the man stood and stumbled quickly towards the school. He followed the obvious path of destruction left by the T-800, entering in through the hole in the building, the occupants of the classroom long since having fled. He walked out the door and spotted a spotted a room stating it was the Custodial Lounge. He walked in and saw a row of lockers along one wall. The man swiftly broke the lock on one and pulled out a janitor's uniform. He put it on and stepped back out into the hallway. He spotted the T-800 way down the hall as it continued to check each classroom. The man headed in the opposite direction opening classroom doors on the other side of the school and calling into each one.

"Zack or Cody Martin are you in here!?" he called each time.

Cody sat in the dark computer room with his peers and teacher when he began to hear a voice out in the hallway that seemed to be getting closer. Suddenly the man burst into the room.

"Zack or Cody Martin are you here!?" the man said.

Cody stood up.

"I…I'm Cody Martin" he said.

"Come with me if you want to live," the man said extending a hand to Cody.

"Excuse me, he's not going anywhere, who are you?" Cody's teacher asked him.

About that time they began to hear crashes and yelling from the other end of the building.

"You hear that? There is a man in the school and he's checking all the rooms for the Martin twins…he's come to kill them. I've come to protect them, you've got to get everyone out of the building! Cody, come with me we have to find your brother!" the man replied.

Cody didn't know why but he felt deep inside him somewhere that this stranger was telling the truth. It was something about his eyes. Cody rushed over to him.

"Cody! Stay here…" the teacher tried to say but the man yanked Cody along with him and the two broke into a run.

"Where would Zack be right now?" the man asked.

"Gym class…is there really someone after me and Zack?" Cody asked.

"Yes, I'll explain everything later but first I have to get you two away from here and someplace safe," the man said.

They turned a corner and ran right into the basketball team.

"Zack! Some crazy guy is in the school trying to find us, this janitor says the guy is here to kill us, he's checking every room for us" Cody said as he spotted his twin.

"But why…?" Zack began but the man holding Cody's arms spoke.

"There is no time to explain…sir we need your keys" he said to Zack and then to Zack's coach.

"I don't think so and you're not going anywhere with…" the coach began.

He was interrupted by the T-800 which had come around the corner, spotted them, and had thrown a large kitchen knife it had found in the cafeteria. A second later, the knife embedded itself right between the coach's eyes. It had been intended for Zack.

"Run! Out to the staff parking lot!" the man yelled.

Zack and Cody and the other team members of the basketball team took off. The man reached into the pockets of the dead coach and grabbed his keys before running off after them. The T-800 pursued, breaking into a slight jog itself.

The twins hadn't gotten far and the man caught up with them quickly.

"Which car is his, do you know?" he asked as they ran.

"I don't know just hit the panic button!" Zack said.

"The what!?" the man asked.

"Here give it to me" Cody said as they all ran across the lot.

Cody pushed the red button on the coach's keys and a horn started honking, thankfully in the direction they were already headed.

Zack glanced back as they ran and noticed the T-800 leaping over cars and coming after them quickly.

"Don't look back just keep running!" the man said as they sprinted to the coach's car.

Cody had unlocked the doors as they got near and they all piled in as fast as they could. The man grabbed the keys from Cody and started the car. As he pulled out the T-800 jumped onto the back of the car.

"Get down!" the man shouted at Zack who was in the back seat.

The man threw the car into a series of heavy swerves and finally managed to throw the cyborg off the back of the car. He pulled onto the main road and sped for the highway. Streets were gridlocked and traffic was backed up at every light but the man just blasted through, driving on the sidewalks, on the grass, around cars, everything he could do to keep moving.

"Uh…okay dude, we got away from him, maybe you could stop now and let us out?" Zack said from the backseat.

"I can't, that wasn't a man chasing us, it was a machine. You and your brother have been targeted for termination," the man said.

"Whoa, wait, a machine!? That was not a machine, that was a man chasing us…they can't make machines that look and move like that" Cody said.

"Not yet…hang on!" the man said.

He dodged the car around another group of backed up vehicles and rode the shoulder towards the interstate.

"What you mean, not yet?" Zack asked.

"Look I know this is going to be hard for you to understand and your going to think I'm nuts but I'm from the future…IT is from the future, the year 2029. In a few hours there is going to be a massive nuclear war. A computer program called Skynet, which was hooked into everything and trusted to run it all, just came online and became self aware. That's why your power grid failed. The program is going to launch nuclear weapons at Russia because it knows the Russian counterattack will wipe out its enemies here. A resistance movement will rise from the ashes though and both of you become instrumental in the war against Skynet so you must live," the man said.

Cody looked back at Zack and each had the same look of bewilderment.

"Yeah, you're right, we do think you're nuts! Stop the car!" Zack said.

"Listen to me! You two have to survive! If I stop now and let you out you'll be dead in less than two hours do you understand that!? Look around you, everything you see is going to be gone, obliterated! There is no time for me to prove to you that what I'm saying it true, you just have to trust me," the man said.

They were on the interstate now, heading north away from Boston. Jumping out of the car now would be suicide. Zack knew he could have jumped a few moments earlier but he didn't want to abandon Cody. They would just have to bide their time and wait for another opportunity.

"What about our mother…our friends?" Cody asked.

The man looked somber.

"I'm sorry, Boston is completely leveled in the attack" the man said.

Cody turned a whiter shade and Zack realized his brother was starting to believe this man, which in turn caused Zack to start to believe him. So Zack responded the way Zack does best when he gets frightened, he got angry.

"Cody, don't believe him, mom's going to be fine…Boston's going to be fine…this guy has obviously lost it!" Zack yelled.

"Maybe, but regardless, it looks like we're stuck with him for now…what's your name anyway?" Cody said.

"My name is William, but you can call me Will," The man said.

"Will, can we at least call our mom and let her know were okay…and if what you say is true maybe we can tell her to get out of the city too," Cody said swallowing fearfully.

"No, the T-800's next course of action will be to try and relocate you two using her. It can mimic other people's voices. There's also a strong possibility that she's already dead. Besides, by now Skynet's already taken out all cell phone communications," Will said.

"I'm starting to get a little freaked here" Cody said as both he and Zack realized their phones no longer worked.

"Cody, don't buy it, he's loony tunes…you're smart Codes, a computer could never become self aware…right? " Zack said.

"Think it through Cody," Will said.

"I suppose it's possible…if it really is linked to everything…" Cody said before growing quiet in thought.

"Look, guys, give me two hours. Let me get you someplace safe. If, in two hours, nothing happens I promise you I will take you back to Boston and turn myself into the police…I'm here to help you, you have nothing to fear from me," Will said.

Again Cody sensed something the man…something to do with the look in his eyes…he knew this Will was telling them the truth. Realizing that comforted him at first, but then it terrified him. If Will was right their mother was either dead by now or certainly going to be dead when Boston was blown off the map.

"Zack I think we should listen to him. If he wanted to hurt us he could have let that…whatever it was, get us" Cody said.

"Okay, two hours…I hope to God your wrong" Zack said sitting back in his seat. He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked out the window at the scenery speeding by them.

Will drove the car north, choosing to remain on the interstate, knowing that no cops would follow them. By now they had their hands full with all the doomed city's problems. His biggest fear now was getting to the shelter in time and whether or not he'd managed to lose the T-800.


	2. The Rockets Red Glare

**A/N: Just a note for those who have already read this chapter, I made some changes towards the end, going with an idea from mikromb13 and extending it a bit.**

_August 29 - Judgment Day_

_North of Boston, MA_

Will continued to speed down the interstate. With the exception of dodging the occasional car, he stayed in the same lane until most of civilization was far behind them. The ride had mostly been silent, with each of the twins constantly checking their watches to see how much time had past. Looking out the window, Zack saw a sign for a diner up ahead.

"I'm hungry," he said to Will.

"We don't have time to stop," Will replied, shaking his head.

"Come on," Zack continued.

"Five minutes isn't going to make or break us." Cody also nodded in agreement.

Will looked at each of the twins in the rear view mirror as he weighed his options. The T-800 was probably far behind them by now, but the threat of Judgment Day also loomed. He knew that none of them were safe right now and it would stay that way until they could get into an underground shelter.

"Fine, but only five minutes" Will said in an obviously annoyed tone.

With that, he pulled off the interstate at the next exit and pulled into the diner.

The building had a red neon sign above a brown building with a wood pattern exterior. The diner was located near a ridge, from which the group could see Boston and the Atlantic Ocean off in the distance. Zack and Cody hopped out of the car and walked toward the building followed by Will. On the way in however, Cody stopped and looked at Boston. His friends, his mom, his home; all of them were there. He hoped that Will would be wrong, but something inside him told him that Will was one hundred percent right. The result was a large knot in his stomach that wretched itself tighter as he looked at the city.

"It's gonna be fine…" Zack said softly to his brother as he put his hand on his shoulder "…come on."

Cody silently looked at him before nodding and following his brother. Will stood near the door, drumming his fingers anxiously. He held the door as he watched the twins approach before entering the diner. All three of them found the cool air conditioned interior to be a great relief from the hot summer air outside. Inside there was a long counter, several tables and a few booths near the window. A waitress who looked to be in her thirties greeted Zack, Cody and Will as she grabbed three menus.

"Will this be for here or to go?" the waitress asked.

"To go," Will answered shortly, drawing a look from each of the twins.

"Ok, have a seat at the counter and I'll be by to take your orders shortly" the waitress responded with a fake smile.

"Thanks" Zack and Cody said as they each took a menu.

Will however shook his hand and said he didn't want one.

"Do you want something to drink with your order?" the waitress asked before she left them.

Zack and Cody both nodded, so she handed each of them a Styrofoam cup as she motioned toward a fountain with various Pepsi and Coke spokes on it. Finally with one last smile, she left. Will watched each of the twins as they filled their cups. Zack filled his with Dr. Pepper and Cody filled his with Sierra Mist.

"It's been five minutes," Will said to the twins.

"Come on, lighten up," Zack said.

"I don't think you two get the gravity of the situation" Will said, keeping his voice hushed, despite the fact that he knew everyone around them would be dead in the next hour.

Looking out the window, Will saw several white streaks form across the sky. Instantly he knew what the streaks were, causing his eyes to widen.

"Come on!" Will snapped, grabbing each of the twins and pulling them to the door.

"HEY!" Zack said, caught by surprise and annoyed that half his drink now rested on his shirt.

"What gives?" Cody snapped.

"We have to leave! Now!" Will replied shortly, pulling the twins to the door and out to the car.

He knew his actions would cause a scene in the diner, but he didn't care. He had more important things to worry about.

"I wanna know what's really going on right now!" Zack said, ripping himself out of Will's grip.

"LOOK AT THOSE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE!?" Will yelled pointing at the sky.

Zack and Cody looked up and saw the white streaks. They were like thin bands of white on a large blue sheet. Cody knew they were way too thick to have been caused by a high flying jet. There was only one thing that could have created them...missiles. The color instantly drained from Cody's face. Everything Will had said was true, and he knew it.

"I don't get it, it wasn't supposed to happen for another hour!" Will added.

"THEY'RE CALLED AIRPLANES! YOU'RE JUST FRIGGIN NUTS! YOU'VE HAD A FEW TOO MANY BOWLS OF COCO PUFFS!" Zack yelled back, not yet realizing the full gravity of what was going on.

Will grabbed his head, growling loudly.

"You don't get it do you!? In just seconds now everyone over there is going to be dead!" he said pointing at Boston, 30 miles in the distance.

"Zack, he's right, they're missiles…everything he said was true" Cody said.

Zack's face suddenly became sullen. He was about to respond to Cody when something else instantly put the argument to rest. His eyes widened as time seemed to slow down, the next few seconds unveiling the truth right in front of his eyes.

There was a huge bright flash of white light right in the center of downtown Boston. Despite how far away it was, Zack still had to shield his eyes from the light. Seconds later a huge fireball erupted and formed a mushroom shaped cloud right in the center of Boston.

Zack's eyes widened with fear. The whole rest of the world seemed to disappear. The only sound that reached Zack's ears was the sound of his own beating heart. Despite the screams coming from his brother, Zack just stood there in a daze, his jaw dropping open. Barely seconds after the bomb's explosion a huge shockwave erupted from the center of the mushroom cloud. Zack watched in disbelief as all of Boston crumbled from the shockwave. Buildings just seemed to disintegrate like a piles of dust in the wind.

Zack's eyes began to tear up as he tried to comprehend what had happened. He knew after that instant that everything he and Cody had known, everyone they both loved, everything they cared about…it was all gone. Although he knew what had happened, his mind absolutely refused to accept that it was real. It all must be a dream he subconsciously reasoned with himself to cover the truth. It had to be. It couldn't be real. This doesn't happen in real life…it was a dream, it just had to be...

"COME ON ZACK!" Cody yelled, grabbing onto his brother's shoulder and yanking him back towards the car.

Zack however still seemed to be lost in his own world.

"ZACK WE GOTTA GO NOW!" Cody yelled again right in his brother's ear, finally snapping Zack back to reality.

"R-r-right," Zack replied in a still half-dazed voice.

With that, Cody shoved Zack into the back seat, before he hopped in the front seat next to Will, who once again occupied the driver seat and by now had the car in gear and was once again speeding towards the interstate. Looking through the back windshield, Zack and Cody saw at least three more missiles level what remained of their home. Although they couldn't see the city itself anymore, the towering mushroom clouds that formed told the whole story.

As they headed north on the highway, the shockwave finally caught up with them. This far from the city it merely gave the car a slight nudge and bounced the back end momentarily off the ground. Will corrected the car's course and continued on.

Zack began to feel very dizzy, unable to accept everything that was surging through his mind. His vision began to blur as he fainted in the back seat. His head fell against the window and his hands rested limply at his sides.

"ZACK!" Cody exclaimed.

"Do you believe me now?" Will asked as he constantly swerved back and forth to avoid the other cars. This was a much harder task than it had been before because the other drivers had also seen the bomb blasts and were panicking.

Somewhat stunned himself, Cody looked back over at Will with wide eyes.

"Y-yea," Cody said, his wide eyes looking at Will.

"W-w-w-what's g-g-g-going to happen?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"By the time the day's done…" Will began.

"Hang on!" he yelled suddenly as he sharply cut in front of the car near the edge of the road to avoid another car.

After a breath he picked up with his explanation again.

"Three billion will be dead from the attack. More will die eventually from radiation sickness" he said.

"Three billion?!" Cody yelled. Will just nodded solemnly.

"The remaining humans will eventually come together to form a resistance movement against Skynet…you two, as I've said already, will become crucial to our survival" Will said.

"B-b-b-b-but, w-w-what can we do!?" Cody asked, overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

Before Will could answer there was another high pitched sound that passed over the car. Cody's eyes diverted to the window to see a white streak form just a few thousand feet above the car before its source disappeared over the horizon.

"Where's that one going to hit?" Cody asked softly.

"New York…since it's such a big city, it will get hit at least ten times before the day is done. Like the United States, the Russians have enough nukes to blanket the whole continent" Will replied.

"And that's what Skynet is going for" Cody replied, catching the full gravity of everything going on.

"Exactly" Will said.

Before Cody could say anything more, there was a bright flash of light on the horizon behind them. It was almost like he could hear the screams and then the silence of the people in New York in his mind. Moments later, something else popped into his head.

"That thing that was chasing us…what happens to it?" Cody began after taking a deep breath.

"It probably found shelter somewhere. The T-800 is constructed of a hyper alloy metal that Skynet creates a few years from now. So there's a very good chance that we haven't seen the last of it" Will said.

Cody looked back at him.

"So since you're from the future, you know basically everything that's going to happen and when it's going to happen?" he asked.

Will sighed.

"Something like that. But everything that's going on now wasn't supposed to happen this soon. I think that going back in time disrupted something with the timeline. So I'd like to say I know everything that's going to happen, but-" Will started.

"You can't" Cody finished.

There was a brief silence in the car as Cody pondered the situation.

"The worm-holes you traveled through probably caused electronic interferences within the space-time continuum altering the course of events" Cody said.

Will looked at Cody with a raised eyebrow.

"Something like that" he said.

The group continued to drive on. Every once in awhile Cody looked back at Zack, seeing how he was doing. Although Cody felt completely overwhelmed by everything going on, he figured since he had somewhat accepted everything Will told them. His mind had been able to handle it when it actually happened. Also, although Cody knew Zack would be fine, he wondered what would happen when he came to.

Will suddenly pulled off the interstate, driving the car onto the shoulder and stopping.

"What are we doing?" Cody asked getting out of the car with Will.

"Were getting off this road and heading in that direction" Will said pointing to a field and a forest beyond it.

"Um, Will, you know this car isn't an off road vehicle right?" Cody said.

"It'll have to do" Will replied.

Will cut the fence that lined the freeway wide enough to accommodate the car and then carefully drove it through. He slowly drove the car through the grass and into the woods. Once inside the tree line to the woods he parked and turned off the engine.

"Now what?" Cody asked, clearly thinking Will had completely lost his mind.

"Now I'm going to cover our tracks, if the T-800 is pursuing us up this highway I don't want it detecting where we turned off. I'll be back as quick as I can…stay here with Zack" Will said getting out of the car.

Will retraced the cars path back to the highway, mended the fence as best he could, then walked back towards the car, covering up the tire tracks as he went. If the T-800 was pursuing them up this highway, it would have to be paying very close attention to detect the turn off they had made.

Once Will returned to the car and started off again into the woods, he resumed his breakneck speed. Cody held on tight to the handle above his door as the car jerked violently.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Cody asked.

"This area is spared by Skynet…we're going to stay in a cave on the other side of this ridge until Judgment Day is over" Will answered.

Branches and leaves constantly smacked at the car as it sped through the woods. Several times Cody thought the car would flip as Will maneuvered it.

"LOOK OUT!" Cody yelled suddenly as a deep gorge came into view.

"HOLD ON!" Will replied.

He slammed the brakes and cut the car hard to the left, turning the car with only feet to spare.

"If that thing doesn't, you'll kill us!" Cody said, getting a look from Will.

"Huh…that little feature wasn't on the recon maps I studied" Will said shrugging.

"That makes me feel a LOT better" Cody said.

Finally some caves came into view. Will flipped the car's headlights on as he drove deep into the cave. Cody screamed as a cloud of bats shrieked from the light before over flying the car. A few moments later, Will brought the battered car to a stop and took the keys out.

"Let me out!" Cody said as he practically dove out of the car.

Will rolled his eyes.

"You're alive, that's all that matters" he said.

Cody made a face before turning around and opening the back seat. He gently shook Zack, hoping that he would finally come to.

"Zack?" Cody said gently.

"Huh-what?" Zack muttered, his eyes opening half way.

Cody helped him take off his seatbelt before helping Zack out of the car.

"W-where are we?" Zack asked, half dazed.

Cody wasn't sure how to answer. Taking a deep breath though, he gave it his best shot.

"Somewhere safe" he said.

"R-right," Zack said sitting down.

Over the course of the next few hours, Zack returned to normal as he tried to absorb everything that Will and Cody told him. Sitting around a small fire that Will had made, Will explained to the twins what was going to happen next.

"First I have to take you to a fallout shelter in the Mojave desert of California called Crystal Peak. There you will meet a man named John Conner. He's the eventual leader of the resistance. My instructions were to make sure you made it safely to him" Will said.

"John Conner" Cody repeated.

"How the heck are we supposed to make it from here to California?" Zack asked suddenly "It's going to be a nuclear wasteland out there!"

Will sighed, before answering.

"Let me put it to you this way…with what's in store, making it to Crystal Peak is going to be the easy part" Will replied.

The floor of the cave rumbled slightly beneath them and a tiny amount of dust shook loose from the ceiling.

"Try and get some rest, were all going to need it" Will said.

They were in such a state of shock that they didn't try to argue with Will. Using a large blanket Will had found in the trunk of the coach's car, the twins lay down next to the fire and tried to sleep. Will knew that they both probably wanted to escape this reality they now faced and he knew by sleeping they could.

Will watched them as they finally managed to drift off into a light sleep. Cody was behind Zack who was closest to the fire. In no time at all Will watched as Cody's arm draped itself over his brother in an unconscious attempt to pull him closer. The action seemed to Will as an automatic response to the trauma they had faced that day, a natural reflex born of their special bond as twins.

Will could hear the bombs hitting despite being deep inside the cave. On top of that, Will knew the impacts were probably hundreds of miles away. Such was the sheer power of nuclear weapons. They sounded like extremely distant rumbles of thunder. One, however, came close enough to suddenly rattle the floor of the cave as if a 3 point magnitude earthquake were occurring. Will guessed, despite his earlier assumption that small cities would be hit with smaller missiles, that Portland had just been hit with a nuke. The twins woke with a start and looked at Will as small pebbles of rock from the cave roof came down. Will said nothing, only looked at them with a sad expression. He knew the twins would never have peace or happiness in their lives again for at least the next 26 years.

After the Portland hit the twins couldn't go back to sleep.

"What all is happening out there Will? What kind of world are we going to see when we leave this cave?" Cody asked.

Will hesitated before beginning.

"Well, right now multiple nuclear bombs are impacting every corner of the world" Will paused, taking a long shaky breath before continuing "like I said earlier, everything you knew about your city, your country, your world, is gone…"

Tears began to stream down the twin's identical faces as they thought about the loss of their mother and friends. As Will continued to tell Zack and Cody about the nightmare they would be emerging into, their gazes followed a trail smoke from the small fire up to the roof of the cave, their thoughts taking over and following it up through the ceiling of the cave and high into the night sky. They imagined the several hundred streaks of fire from the rocket engines propelling the missiles down onto the land they loved…their home. They envisioned the multiple impacts from high above as they listened, not only to the sound of Will's voice, but also to the sounds of those distant impacts destroying the life they had known.


	3. Dashing Through the Ash

**AN: here is the next chapter, again we own noting but our OC's. **

_August 30 _

_Boston, MA_

The city was in complete ruin. Fires raged over every square mile. The skyscrapers that hadn't been toppled where left standing without their outer walls or interiors. They were now nothing more than steel frames sticking up towards the hellish sky like something out of a nightmare. Nothing was recognizable anymore. Trees, grass, animals, and people had all been incinerated. Fire seemed to rain down from the sky along with the thick black smoke that was everywhere.

At the location that had once been the Tipton Hotel, now just a few remaining stories left to its ghostly frame, a single figure suddenly appeared pushing its way through the formerly elegant doors of the lobby. It was the machine, having survived in the basement of the hotel after acquiring, and then terminating Carey Martin. It stood in the street in front of the ruined hotel and looked up at the sky, half of the skin on its face, arm, and leg melted off. It scanned its immediate surroundings for a while longer before turning and walking off.

_60 miles north of Boston_

Will roused the twins who had finally returned to sleep a few hours before due to sheer exhaustion. They looked up at him.

"Come on, we have to get moving" Will said.

"Is it even daytime out yet?" Zack said rubbing the sleep and dried tears from his eyes.

"There isn't any 'daytime' anymore" Will said.

"What do you mean by that?" Zack asked.

Will looked down sadly and then back up at the twins "you'll see" he said.

They cleaned up their camp area and walked back through the caves toward where they had left the car.

"Is it safe to go out? I mean, what about the radiation?" Cody asked as he tried to keep pace with Will.

"Yeah, maybe we should go back and wait a while longer, besides…I'm still tired" Zack said yawning.

"Radiation poisoning is something you're bodies are just going to have to build up a tolerance to. You will get sick, maybe even develop cancer, but once we reach Crystal Peak it will only be a matter of time before Kathryn Brewster develops a cure to fight it" Will said.

"Wait, you said she was a veterinarian, how does she come up with the cure for radiation sickness and cancer when top doctors in human medicine couldn't?" Cody asked.

"What do you think she did all that time her and John Connor were by themselves in that shelter? She read, she learned, she discovered" Will replied.

They reached the car but while Cody and Will were putting things in it Zack just kept walking toward the mouth of the cave, having caught sight of the outside world which pulled him in a trance toward it. Will and Cody didn't notice until they heard a terrible shriek emit from Zack.

"CODY!" came Zack's cry.

Cody sprinted over to his brother, Will not far behind him. When Cody reached Zack, he too saw what had caused his brother's outburst through a clearing in the trees. The very sky itself was a bright orange glow in the south. A fine ash rained down and there was a bleak gray look to everything surrounding the cave. Cody broke out of his own trance when he realized Zack was starting to hyperventilate beside him. He turned to his twin and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Zack…" Cody began.

"Cody…she…she…she's gone…she's really…gone…and…and…our friends and…the whole city…the…whole country…the world…it's gone Cody!…It really happened…mom and dad!" Zack interrupted, talking so fast through his rapid breathing and crying.

Cody tried to remain calm for his brother in order to calm Zack down but soon found he couldn't. Cody broke down in tears himself and the brothers just grabbed each other in a hug, falling to their knees.

Will stood behind them looking up at the sky. He had been an infant on this day and didn't remember this sight. He did know the kind of world that these boys now had to quickly become men in and it caused tears to form in his own eyes. His heart ached so badly. It ached for them, for himself, and for the whole human race that this had happened to.

"It's gonna be okay Zack, we're gonna be okay, we still have each other" Cody was trying to say to Zack through his tears.

Will walked up and kneeled beside them, putting his hands on their backs.

"Guys, look at me" Will said softly.

Both Zack and Cody looked at Will with expressions that made Will want to break down all over again but he held it back.

"Cody is right…you have each other…and you have me…and I promise you, as long as I have life in my body I will make sure nothing happens to you. Trust me I know all about loss, it's been my entire life" Will began, pausing frequently "At first, you don't feel like going on without the people you've lost…but we do, people do. We survive, we go on. That's the element about us that Skynet always underestimated…its why we _will _win this war. But you have to be strong now. You have to be stronger than you ever thought you could be. We will get through this and, even though I never knew her, I would think your mother would want you to be brave and go on" he finished.

Zack and Cody nodded and sniffled, trying to dry their eyes with their sleeves.

"Come, we have to get moving" Will said before helping them to their feet.

Will led the twins back to the car. Once they were all situated Will tried the key. The car wouldn't start.

"Oh great" Zack said.

After a quick check it was determined the car had suffered catastrophic damage during its rapid escape from Boston and into the woods.

"Well, now what?" Cody asked.

"It was time for a new vehicle anyway" Will said with a sigh "we hike out of here and find the nearest one that still runs" he said.

They grabbed essentials from the coach's car and began walking through the woods. The ash coming down reminded Cody somewhat of snowfall. In reality he knew it was fine pieces of earth, buildings, and…people. The thought made him cover his mouth to stifle a gag.

"Will this ash make us sick?" Zack asked Will as if reading Cody's mind.

"Not the ash itself, the radioactivity coming from the sky is what's going to do that but hopefully we will get to areas where it isn't as bad" Will replied.

Cody, not wanting to alarm Zack, silently recalled all the things he'd read about radiation sickness. It would be a miracle if they made it to California alive.

"Um…Will, how long does it take Kate to come up with this cure…it just seems to me like one person alone couldn't come up with it by themselves in a fallout shelter" Cody said.

"Why not, isn't it in your history that one person invented the light bulb and the telephone?" Will said.

"Yeah I guess so" Cody said.

"Besides, if things turn out the way I intend them to she'll probably have help coming up with it" Will said.

"From who?" Cody asked.

Will just looked straight at Cody and smiled.

"Oh yeah, I'm going to help a veterinarian find the cure to cancer from radiation poisoning. I'm smart, but not that smart" Cody said.

"It would make sense to me Codes, your just the type of brainiac to come up with something brilliant like that…and combined with the brains of this Kate, who knows what the two of you could do" Zack said.

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence Zack, but were talking about cancer here" Cody replied doubtfully.

Suddenly Will grabbed them and threw all three of them to the ground.

"Shhhh!" Will commanded them.

Both twins were dying to know what had spooked Will but they kept quiet in case it was the machine. Will peered ahead of them and then sighed in relief.

"Its okay guys, its just some deer" he whispered.

As they all slowly returned to their feet the twins looked in the direction Will pointed to.

Cody watched the animals as they slowly disappeared from view suddenly realizing it may be one of the last times he ever saw anything like them alive again. Birds, fish, horses, and many other animals would soon be dieing out in massive numbers or dieing out altogether. Another rush of sadness washed over him.

"Let's keep going" Will said, pulling Cody from his thoughts.

They finally got to the tree line and Will instructed Zack and Cody to hunker down while he stayed low and crept to the side of the highway. Amazingly, there were a few cars that flew by on the highway. Will wondered where the people thought they were going.

_Maybe to a relatives to check on them _he thought to himself.

He spotted a sign for an exit one mile up the highway. He decided they would walk along in the woods next to the highway until they reached the exit to see if they could acquire a vehicle there. He returned to the twins and they began walking again, being sure to stay out of sight to the few cars that went past on the road. When they reached the exit Will spotted a used car lot near a gas station.

"Okay, you guys stay here. Stay hidden you understand me? Whatever happens do not leave this spot. I'm going over there and getting one of those cars. When I pull up right over there be ready to run and get in okay?" Will said.

"You're just going to go over there and steal a car off that lot?" Cody asked incredulously.

Will and Zack looked at Cody with strange expressions.

"This is the new world now buddy, you take what you need to survive" Will said.

Then Will was gone, out of the woods and walking down the road that went across the highway. If there was ever a time for the twins to escape from Will it would have been right then. Of course, by then, neither twin had any desire to leave Will. He had been right, and he promised to protect them.

Once across the bridge that spanned the highway, Will turned off the road and carefully approached the used car lot. The business hadn't opened yet so Will easily entered the lot and began searching for the ideal vehicle for them while drawing no attention to himself. He wanted something inconspicuous but also rugged enough to handle the cross country nightmare that lie ahead. He finally chose a silver colored Chevrolet Avalanche 2500. He popped the lock and had no trouble hot wiring the truck. He drove the truck right through the locked gate of the car lot, sped back over the bridge, and squealed to a stop at the spot where he'd left the twins.

Zack and Cody ran up out of the woods and flung themselves into the truck. Will took off, heading east down the road and then turned south.

"Nice choice for a ride here Will" Zack said admiring the Avalanche from the back seat of the quad cab.

Will just nodded, giving Zack a slight grin.

"So, where to now, back to the highway?" Cody asked.

"No, I think we should stick to the back roads for now" Will replied.

"What about that thing that's after us? What will it do now that we got away from it?" Zack asked.

"If it survived the blasts, which I can pretty much guarantee it did…" Will began, pausing to adjust his seat "…we have an even bigger problem than just keeping you two alive" he said.

"Which would be what?" Cody asked.

"Having failed to terminate you two it will follow its secondary protocol which is to head for California in an effort to locate John Connor himself…and kill him" he finished.

"Oh great, so we'd be in a race with it to get to Crystal Peak" Cody said.

"Yeah, and its got a big advantage over us…it doesn't have to sleep or eat or…" Will began.

"…Go to the bathroom" Zack said.

"Exactly" Will said.

There was quiet in the truck for a moment.

Then Will and Cody looked back at Zack who looked back at them with pleading eyes.

"Don't tell me" Will said.

Zack only nodded back, looking sheepish. Will sighed and pulled over so Zack could go. Will suggested they all go even if they didn't have to.

Soon they were back on the road heading down US 202 towards western Massachusetts. Cody rode along in contemplative silence next to Will in the front seat. Zack fell asleep in the back. Suddenly Cody's eyes got wide and he turned his head toward Will.

"Will, you said it takes Skynet a long time before they come out with a cyborg as complex as the T-800 right!?" he all but yelled, rocketing Zack back to a startled consciousness.

"Yeah, it takes them about 16 years from now" Will replied.

"What do you think would happen to the timeline if Skynet got its hands on this T-800!?" Cody asked.

Will's face paled. He hadn't thought of that. In all the other instances where terminators were sent back in time to kill John Connor or his mother they had been completely destroyed. Nothing was left of them for an emerging Skynet to find. Things were different now. Will realized that if the T-800 survived the blast, not only did he have to stop it before it got to John Connor while keeping the twins safe at the same time, but now he also had to keep Skynet from getting to it. He knew if Skynet managed to capture it that the future could be radically altered, and not in their favor.

"We don't even know for sure that it survived the blast" Will said when he could find his voice again.

Cody knew what Will was thinking though. It was the same thing that he was thinking himself. He realized that before this trip was done they were most likely going to have a showdown with the T-800. The thought of that sent shivers down his spine as he sat back in his seat. Will was now driving them into the unknown. Where Cody had been confident before, because he thought Will knew what was to come, now he wasn't so sure. He looked back at Zack and knew through their connection that his brother was thinking the very same thing.


	4. Aerial Assault

**AN: Here is the next chapter! Enjoy! As usual we own nothing but our OC's**

_August 30_

_15 Miles Northwest of Boston, MA_

The T-800 walked up to a steel re-enforced structure in the remains of an armed forces reserve station located just outside of Boston. Looking around, its scanners picked up something that could be of some use to it. Sitting on the downwind side of the building was an attack helicopter that had been prepared for a training mission. Since it was on the downwind side of the building from the blast, the building had acted like a shield, protecting the helicopter along with several other aircraft. Looking around, the T-800 saw that all the soldiers, including the pilots who were going to fly it had died in one of the later blasts that had decimated the city.

Walking up to the helicopter, a scan from the T-800 as it approached told the machine that the helicopter was still in a flyable condition. It climbed into the pilot seat before flipping a few switches. Next the T-800 started the engine and within the next few minutes, brought it up to full power. Soon the helicopter lifted off the ground. Once at altitude, the T-800 turned the helicopter and set its course.

After flying over the remains of the city's outskirts, the T-800 flew the aircraft northwest, often taking the helicopter down to check the few vehicles it passed. Back up at a higher altitude, the T-800's scanners picked up on a sole vehicle racing down the road about 20 miles ahead. As it approached it lowered the helicopter to just about 10 feet from ground level and began to shrink the gap between it and the vehicle. Closing in, it detected that once again it had found its targets.

***

_60 Miles North of Boston_

"Wonder how long?" Zack mumbled to himself.

Cody shook his head. "A while"

"Hopefully it won't take that long," Will said, keeping his eyes glued to the road. Every few seconds he would look down at the speedometer and grumble under his breath. Although the SUV was a good ride for what they needed, the needle on the speedometer refused to climb above 90 miles per hour. Also, although they could maintain that speed on long stretches of road, Will would often be forced to slow way down to safely make a sharp turn or maneuver through areas of rugged terrain. The obstacles that had been formed by the results of the blasts included large seas of cars and huge cracks in the pavement so that it made it nearly impossible for Will to maintain a safe speed that was anywhere near 90 miles per hour.

Zack and Cody watched the burned, ruined world race by them. Often each would close their eyes at the sight of burned cars that had been blasted in place by the nuclear explosions. Inside of the cars' shattered windows were the scorched remains of many scared, innocent people desperately trying to escape their fate. Also outside the car, the twins could see endless flames from the radioactive fire that the bombs had produced. Whole towns and cities were now nothing more than demolished steel and concrete structures that put forth huge orange and red flames.

Looking at Will, each of the twins could see that he ached for those unfortunate enough to be caught in the blasts. To exist one second, and just vanish the next. He shuddered at the thought, but it offered some condolence that these poor souls probably felt nothing and died instantly.

After a period of silence, Zack and Cody switched seats so Cody could try to lie down and sleep for a little while. After Cody had climbed into the back seat, Zack climbed up front next to Will and strapped himself in. As Cody began to doze off, a soft rhythmic sound began to reach the twins ears. "What?" Cody said. "That sounds like a helicopter." He thought about what he had just said thinking it was impossible, but it was hard for his brain to ignore the constant beat reaching his ears.

"Uh…Will," Zack said, looking through the back window. "I think we have company."

Will looked up in the rearview mirror. The helicopter was in attack position, something that he knew could only mean one thing. "It's back!"

"W-w-what?" Zack said, his eyes widening.

"Hang on!" Will yelled, ignoring Zack. With that he floored the gas pedal and swerved towards the side of the road.

"What are you doing!?" Cody asked startled as he was thrown against the side of the vehicle. A second later his question was answered by an explosion on the opposite side of the road.

Looking back, all three could see that the helicopter piloted by the T-800 was gaining on them fast. The T-800 hit the trigger button again, launching another missile at the car. Once again Will was barely able to dodge it with some quick maneuvering.

"Can't you do anything about it?" Zack yelled.

Will just looked at him briefly before turning his eyes back to the road ahead. He steered around several cars that had been stopped on the highway. A roar behind them told them that they had barely avoided another missile.

As the T-800 got closer to the car, it moved its finger to a trigger located just below the missile-launch button. Turning the helicopter to line up its shot, the T-800 began firing both of the helicopter's machine guns.

Looking back again, Will saw a bright yellow flame bursting out from the helicopter machine guns. "GET DOWN!" Will yelled. He slammed the brake as he ducked down. The twins didn't need to be told twice as each ducked down just barely quick enough to avoid the spray of bullets that pulverized the car.

Upon impact from the bullets, the back windshield shattered as did the side windows. Glass rained down on Will and the twins. Throughout the whole process the Zack and Cody screamed, fear filling both of them. Bullets continued to hit the SUV, denting and deforming the frame. The sound of bullets ricocheting off the metal filled the vehicle, and chorused with the twins' screams.

A brief silence was followed by the overpowering roar of the helicopter's engine and rotor blades. The force of the rotors passing over the top of the car caused the damaged sunroof to fall into the car, which landed a second later on Cody's arm.

"AHH!" Cody screamed in pain. Almost immediately he wiggled the sunroof off his arm as pain shot through it.

"CODY!" Zack yelled.

"ARE YOU HIT!?" Will yelled. Glancing up, Will could see that the T-800 had over flown them and now was turning around for another attack. Acting fast, Will flung the car into reverse and floored the gas pedal. Moving again, Will whipped around, peering through the broken glass lined opening that now existed where the back windshield had once been.

"N-No," Cody forced out. "I'm fine." He held his arm. A quick look over told him that his arm wasn't broken. Pulling his hand away, Cody noticed some blood where the sunroof's sharp edges had hit his arm.

Zack looked at Will for a brief second before undoing his seatbelt and jumping into the back seat. "Zack!" Will yelled. Once Zack was safely in the back seat, Will yanked the e-brake and flung the car around. Following his technique from earlier, Will swerved around the parked cars on the road, using them as a shield from another missile.

"Cody!" Zack said, looking over his brother.

"I-I'm fine," Cody said, fighting back his tears. He continued to hold his arm.

Zack pulled Cody's hand away from his wound. "You're bleeding!"

"GET DOWN!" Will yelled again as another shower of bullets impacted the car. Both the twins flattened themselves against the floor. Bullets flew through the openings in the car and shredded the seats. Finally the rattling of the bullets stopped and was replaced by a constant clicking sound. Taking that as his cue, Will pulled another drifting turn with the e-brake and headed directly for the helicopter.

"WHY ARE YOU HEADING RIGHT FOR IT!?" Zack yelled.

Will ignored him as he raced the SUV at the helicopter. He knew that the only weapon the T-800 had left, its missiles, were completely ineffective at very short range. Almost directly underneath the helicopter, Will slammed on the brakes.

The T-800 saw the SUV disappear from its view. It maneuvered the helicopter around, expecting to regain a visual on its targets by turning the helicopter around. When it managed to do so however, the SUV was still nowhere to be found. It continued to maneuver the helicopter around, trying to regain sight of its target.

Will matched the helicopter's movements, making sure to stay directly under the helicopter. The only way the T-800 could see them is for it to climb out of the cockpit and lean out to the side, something that would cause the helicopter to lose control because the machine would be unable to pilot it from that position.

Looking around, Zack found a tire jack and a wrench located right behind the backseat as well as some rope. "Will!" Zack said. Will looked back, saw the jack and rope in Zack's hand, and nodded. Acting fast Zack tied a knot around the middle of the jack. He then tied the other end to the wrench.

Still unable to locate its targets, the T-800 increased power on the helicopter, causing it climb. Finally it caught a glance of the SUV. It turned sharply and lowered the nose. It fired another missile, as it headed back towards the ground. Although the extra altitude allowed the machine to see the SUV again, it did not provide a very good shot, so it decided to dive again.

Will dodged the missile and drove behind the helicopter as the T-800 lowered it.

"ZACK! HIT THE TAIL ROTOR!" Will called as he continued to make sure the helicopter was facing in the other direction.

"THE WHAT?"

"THE SMALL PROPELLER!" Cody yelled. "MAKE SURE IT HITS THE SMALL PROPELLER IN THE BACK!"

Zack nodded. Standing up through the now open sunroof, he threw the tire jack so it got caught in the helicopter's tail rotor. The force of the tail rotor grabbing the jack sent the end tied to the wrench snapping up at the rest of the helicopter. The end of the rope with the wrench flew into the main rotor and became wound around the blades.

Almost instantly the helicopter began to spiral out of the control and slammed into the ground with a huge explosion. Parts and shrapnel flew in all directions as fire and thick black smoke engulfed the helicopter.

"WE GOT IT!" Zack yelled.

Will just shook his head as he sped away from the scene, making sure to dodge the pieces of metal flung in front of them by the explosion.

"That thing's finally dead!" Zack said as he threw his fist in the air.

Will sighed. "Don't be so sure, look behind you."

"What?" Zack looked back and saw what looked to be a metal skeleton walking out of the fire. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Will remained silent as he continued to drive.

***

After a period of driving, Will decided they were a safe distance away, and pulled over to examine Cody's injury. They sat outside the SUV at what used to be a roadside turnout. Will and Zack had righted an overturned a picnic table that they now sat upon.

"You'll be fine," Will said. "Nothing looks broken, just a cut." Cody nodded. Will ripped Cody's sleeve into a bandage and wrapped it around his arm to cover the cut. Next Will looked over Zack as well. He also had a few minor cuts and bruises, but nothing like Cody, nothing serious.

"So, how long will it take us to get to California again?" Zack asked.

"It usually takes three to four days if you drive," Cody answered with a sigh.

"THREE TO FOUR DAYS?!" Zack yelled. Cody nodded hopelessly.

"It'll go by fast though," Will said, staring at the twins' eyes "Because you two got a lot to learn" he added hopping up off the table.

"What do you mean?" Zack asked, looking at him.

"This is a much different world than the one you're used to," Will said solemnly. "And, that T-800 must be destroyed. Cody's right, if Skynet gets it, it will mean disaster for the resistance and the future of mankind. That wasn't the last we're going to see of it."

"What are you saying?" Cody asked, his eyes widening. He had a feeling he knew what Will was going to say, he just hoped he was wrong.

"If you two are going to survive," Will said, taking a deep breath. "You're going to have to learn how to fight. I don't mean pushing around either, I mean truly learn to fight."

"I-I thought you said you'd protect us," Cody said, stuttering. His eyes widened as he looked at Will with a face that was startled and fearful.

Will looked back at him. "And I will until my last breath. You have my word on that. Look, I don't want to scare you any more than you already are, but with the weapons that are available in this time, it will be very hard to stop that T-800. We don't have a lot of time, so I won't be the one teaching you everything you need to learn. You'll receive full training after meeting John Conner. In the mean time, I can show you some basic things"

"If that thing can survive a blast like that, I don't think anything can stop it." Zack said.

"It's not entirely unstoppable," Will said. "Either way though this is stuff you must know and…" Will's voice seemed to get slightly quieter as he took a breath. "And it will save your life one day."

The twins just looked at Will.

"Zack, lesson one" Will said, looking at him with a serious look. "Hit me." He held out his hand as a target for Zack.

"W-what?" Zack asked.

"Hit me!" Will repeated he shook his hand around a little.

Understanding, Zack stood up from the table, wound up and feebly punched Will's hand. Will caught his blow easily and flung it to the side.

"Come on, you're holding back. That machine just killed your mother! Hit it!" he held his hand up again as a target.

Zack wound up and swung at Will again.

"COME ON!" Will said as he caught Zack's hand and twisted his arm behind his back before grabbing Zack's shoulder with his other hand.

"Zack! Listen to me!" Will said making sure Zack was paying attention. "You can't hold back, you can't show mercy. If you hold back, you're dead! Do you understand me? YOU ARE DEAD! The machines are ruthless, they don't feel anything. They'll keep coming for you, no matter what. They never stop! Once you die, they keep moving forward until everyone is dead! That's why they're called terminators! They terminate, that's all they are! THAT'S ALL THEY DO! Never hold back! NEVER! Do you understand me?" Will let go of Zack and turned him around, making sure he was ok. Zack just stood there silent.

Cody just looked from Zack to Will and back to Zack. He knew Will wouldn't hurt Zack, and he also knew that Will was completely right.

"I'm sorry I had to do that Zack," Will said solemnly as he turned towards the truck.

Before Will knew what was happening Zack screamed and launched himself fist first toward Will. All the rage and fear from the past 24 hours plus this first "lesson" was too much for Zack and this time his fist connected sure and square with Will's lower jaw.

Will, caught by surprise, was knocked off balance. Before he could regain his footing, Zack pounced again, finally getting Will on the ground. Zack began pounding at Will who just absorbed the hits, deflecting most with his hands.

"HOW'S THIS FOR NOT HOLDING BACK! MY MOM IS DEAD, MY DAD PROBABLY IS TOO, THE WHOLE WORLD IS GONE AND SOME FREAKIN MACHINE FROM THE FUTURE IS AFTER ME AND CODY AND I JUST FOUND OUT I HAVE TO BECOME THIS SUPER SOLDIER AND I DON'T WANT ANY OF IT!" Zack screamed at Will as he punched.

His punches slowly became softer as Zack began sobbing again. Cody, who had watched this unfold open mouthed from his seat on the picnic table, had come up behind Zack and was gently trying to pull Zack off Will. Zack stood up and shrugged Cody off. Will sat up and just looked at Zack. Zack stopped his tears and stared back at Will.

After a while Will finally spoke, "Much better Zack," he said, smiling slightly.

Zack smiled despite himself. "Sorry" he said to Will as he stared holes into the ground.

"Don't be," Will said, standing "I know it all seems like too much right now…" Will said as they all got back into the truck. "…but trust me when I say this…you will learn, you will become strong, and the skills you learn will save your life."

Massaging his arm and knuckles in the front seat, Zack nodded. "I know…" he said. With everything that had happened in the past day and a half, he knew he was just beginning to understand the full gravity of what was going on. He would be ready for any of Will's lessons in the future, and knew somewhere inside that he would be grateful for every one of them.

Will looked at Cody. "Your first lesson is next, be ready for it. Just know this, I'm not going to tell you when it's coming." Cody nodded his understanding. With that Will put the SUV in gear and began to drive.


	5. Think on Your Feet

_August 30_

_35 miles east of Binghamton, NY Route 10_

As the gray gloominess of the day dimmed further towards night time Will, after having successfully navigated the worst of the Catskill mountains, decided it was time to stop. He realized that if the T-800 managed to find a new form of airborne transportation with some decent lights, that it would be easier for it to spot the SUV.

Will found an alcove that was tucked off the road near the base of a mountain. He backed the SUV into a thick grove of trees and brush. The SUV was roomy, but not enough for three people to get some decent rest in. Will suggested they abandon the truck and try to create a makeshift camp within the dense growth behind it. Zack and Cody, using their wilderness training from their scouting days, made quick work of piling different plants into a pile to make semi-soft beds for themselves. Will, with his survival training from the Resistance, also had little trouble creating a spot to lie down on. His area was closest to the truck so he would be the first to know if trouble was approaching.

"I'm so hungry!" Zack said as his stomach ushered a tremendous grumble.

Will realized then that he and the twins had not had anything to eat or drink in over a day and a half.

"Tomorrow we'll locate supplies" Will said.

Zack looked like he was about to argue that they should find something now but in the end he just lay down and closed his eyes. Cody too lay down on his pile and went to sleep. Will sat there watching and listening, the only light coming from the fires of nearby Binghamton. This far from the town there was barely enough light for Will to see his hand in front of his face, but it was light nonetheless. No other vehicles passed by on the highway and for the first time since arriving in this time, Will began to relax.

Will knew the T-800 was still coming, but he also knew it could be on any number of roadways. Even if it was on this same highway, Will knew it probably wouldn't discover them hidden here. It might get ahead of them during the night but Will was confident he'd be able to locate it again before it reached Crystal Peak. There were ways of locating the machines. Will thought about how ironic it was that, although the machine was hunting them and they should strive to avoid it at all costs, at the same time they had to hunt it down and destroy it before Skynet got it. Will yawned thinking of all this as he settled onto his pile and fell into a fitful sleep.

-Will POV-

_Plasma guns fired and the earth shook as I crouched down behind a dirt mound to shelter myself from the onslaught of this latest barrage of enemy fire from overhead. It wasn't supposed to unfold like this, we were supposed to have surprised Skynet as we advanced on one of its hardware depots in what was once Dallas, Texas. Instead we had been ambushed, as if Skynet had known all along where we were coming from and when we were going to make our move. The air was riddled with Skynet's aerial attack machines known as hunter-killers or HK's._

_A large plasma blast struck the mound of dirt some of my fellow comrades and I were sheltered behind, causing the mound to buckle and the force of the blast to knock us over onto the ground. I grunted on impact as the force of my landing knocked the air out of me._

"_You okay kid!?" My friend Charlie asked, pulling me back up to a crouched position. We had been on several campaigns together lately and watched out for each other._

"_Yeah I'm fine…What happened!?" I yelled over the roar of the HK's thrusters as they danced around overhead. "General Martin said this was going to a precision in and out!"_

"_Apparently Skynet knew something that Martin didn't" Charlie said._

_Another blast struck very close and our platoon leader signaled us to move as quickly as we could down into a nearby gully. As we ran, we could all see the ghostly steel frames of former skyscrapers as they were lit up by the plasma fire._

_Once we were at the bottom of the gully, we were somewhat protected and blocked from sight by large pieces of debris. Quickly our platoon leader sent a message to our base briefly updating command of our status. A second later his radio crackled with an encrypted code. It was fallback orders to regroup all soldiers to a predetermined rendezvous site._

"_Alright men, fallback to rendezvous site alpha zero one. Travel in pairs and move as fast as possible without risking detection. Move out!" The platoon leader ordered._

_Charlie and I immediately began moving together, being careful to stay out of the searchlights coming from the HK's. We ran along, hopping over and under debris. Suddenly I spotted several sets of red eyes coming over the lip of a nearby ridge. It was a group of T-600s, rubber skinned terminators. I grabbed Charlie and hurled both of us to the ground._

"_600's, closing in from 2 O'clock," I said. "Half a dozen maybe."_

"_Alright I guess were taking the long way then," Charlie said._

_We headed off in a different direction. The whole time we could hear the sounds of some of our comrades as the T-600s located and fired on them. Even after a few years of combat experience, their screams never ceased to tear at my very soul. There was nothing I could do for them except to live, to keep going, to regroup, and to fight another day._

_We arrived at the rendezvous location after traversing a good distance of debris strewn terrain. It always amazed me that any of us knew where we were going in such place where everything looked the same. This was the world we were used to, and somehow we just knew how to get around in it. Upon arriving we soon learned that we had lost approximately one quarter of our particular platoon en route. I could see our platoon leader standing with other platoon leaders around a single man. I knew they were talking to the General and the conversation seemed to be heated. Their conversation was hushed at first, so I assumed they were talking about what to do next. As the conversation wore on however, their voices got louder and louder until finally the General had had enough._

"_This is not a negotiation! I am your commanding officer and you WILL follow my orders is that understood!?" General Martin said._

_The platoon leaders snapped back to attention and gave the General the respect they had been trained to give him, although I could tell many were not happy about it. I was trying very hard to get a good look at the General but there were several other soldiers in front of me._

"_This ambush actually works to our advantage," General Martin said, looking in the direction of the battlefield. "We will divide our forces into three groups, two of the groups will keep the HK's and the rubber skins busy while an elite group of our best people go in and complete what we came here to do! Now here is how were going to do it…"_

_I couldn't hear anything further. Suddenly, everything fast forwarded to the final push into the hardware depot._

_For some reason I had been selected to go with the elite platoon into the depot. I certainly didn't see myself as 'the best of them' but I reasoned that if General Martin had confidence in me, I was going to do the best I could. Charlie had also been selected to go in due to his knowledge of demolition tactics. We infiltrated the depot without being detected using a technique developed by John Connor that had been perfected by General Martin. Once inside I was ordered to take up a watch position near the entrance along with a few other soldiers. General Martin then led the demolitions team, including Charlie, down into the bowels of the depot to plant thermal charges. After what seemed like a millennia, throughout which the other soldiers and I listened to freakish otherworldly noises emitting from the depot, the General and the demolitions team re-emerged from below. As the General walked by, I finally got a good look at his face. It was one of determination and bravery but I also thought I could detect a hint of sadness in his eyes as the General looked at me and nodded as he passed. We made our exit undetected and the General blew the charges._

_Cheers erupted from everyone as the entire depot complex exploded in a massive fireball. Immediately HK's began falling from the sky having lost their controlling link to Skynet._

"_Yes! Charlie we did it! General Martin did it!" I said, grabbing my friend and hopping up and down._

_The next thing I knew, a large flat piece of scrap metal sliced through Charlie's head from top to bottom, killing him instantly. His body was thrown to the side, and behind it was a T-600 that was missing most of its skin. I screamed, fear filling me, as the enormous terminator raised its arm and was about to bring it down on me..._

-Normal POV-

Will bolted upright with a loud yell, instantly standing into a defensive position. Zack and Cody, startled awake by the yell, also scrambled to their feet.

"Will!? What!?" both of the twins said, looking around in terror, braced for the end of everything.

Will, sweating and shaky, blinked his eyes, shook his head a bit and then held up both hands to calm the twins down.

"It's okay guys, I just had a nightmare, that's all…I'm, I'm sorry" Will said. He walked over to the back of the SUV, lowered the tailgate and sat on it, rubbing his face with his hands. The lighter shade of grey gloom had returned, telling Will that morning had come. Cody walked over to Will and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Was it about where you came from?" Cody asked.

Will nodded a "yes" in reply. Cody could tell by the look on Will's face that he didn't want to talk about it. Zack's stomach growled loud enough to be heard from nearby where he stood. "Okay guys, let's go track down some breakfast," Will said.

They disrupted their piles they had used to sleep on and dispersed their campsite. Once Will pulled the SUV out of the alcove, they returned momentarily to cover up the tire tracks. Then they continued west on the interstate into Binghamton. The town was as Will expected it to be; a disaster area. This was Zack and Cody's first look at ground zero of a nuclear missile impact. Their eyes were the size of saucers as the SUV descended, and then ascended the small crater that had once been Binghamton.

Not wanting to risk eating or drinking anything radioactively contaminated, Will drove another 40 miles west and south into the Pennsylvania town of Sayre. It was Zack that spotted the damaged Wal-Mart before anyone else. The blast wave from Binghamton had really done a number on the super-store, but Will was sure that the items in the store had been effected little if at all by the radiation. He parked the SUV in an inconspicuous location and the trio entered the store. From the looks of the store's interior, the surviving locals had been there, taken what they needed, and left. The power, of course, was out so the interior of the store was a dark maze of toppled items and collapsed sections of ceiling. Soon Will located some flashlights and some batteries. He gave one to each twin and kept one for himself.

"Okay, let's spread out and gather some of the stuff we need," Will asked. "I'm assuming you two have been in a store like this before so you have a general idea how its laid out correct?"

"Yeah, most Wal-Marts are basically laid out the same," Zack replied. "Food's on one side; clothes, electronics, sporting goods, and stuff for your house on the other"

"Okay," Will said. "It's going to take two of us to gather enough food and water we're gonna need, but we also need other supplies, perhaps some clothes…maybe something to defend ourselves with…do they sell any kinds of weapons in a place like this, any guns?"

"I think I've seen small arms weapons sold here," Cody replied. "Maybe some bigger stuff like rifles."

"Well the rifles might help us," Will said aloud to himself before turning back to Cody "Do you think you'd be okay to go and try to locate some of those things for us while Zack and I gather the food?"

"Y…yeah, I guess so" Cody said, not particularly liking the prospect of going off into the dark store alone.

"Okay then, let's make it fast," Will said. "That thing is still coming. Grab a couple carts and throw stuff in, basically whatever we can find that will be useful. Let's try to be in and out as fast as possible"

They split up then, Cody moving off towards the opposite end of the store while Zack and Will parted ways to a lesser extent and began to load food into their carts. Zack didn't like the way Will had separated him from his twin. He found the move to be dangerous somehow, although he didn't know exactly why. It was just a feeling inside his gut that Will had made a poor decision. As Zack pulled items off the shelves and placed them in the two carts he dragged along behind him, Will suddenly walked up next to him.

"I know what you're thinking" Will said.

"So you can read minds too?" Zack asked as he forcefully placed a bag of chips into one of his carts.

"No," Will replied. "But I know the strategist you become and I can see it on your face that you don't agree with me sending Cody off on his own."

Zack just nodded once in reply.

"Relax, I haven't made an error in judgment," Will said. "The Terminator is well behind us and I needed this opportunity to give your brother his first test."

"First test?" Zack asked.

"Yes," Will said as he took a deep breath before continuing. "He needs to learn how to think on his feet, to come up with a solution…a way out…of any and all dangerous situations. Even in seemingly hopeless situations he needs to be able to quickly come up with either a way to fight back or a way to escape. Panic is not an option, freezing up is not an option. These things you both must learn"

"So, how exactly are you going to administer this test here?" Zack asked warily.

Will waived his hand around, showing Zack the darkened atmosphere around them. "By putting him in that situation and seeing what he does," Will replied.

"How are you gonna do that?" Zack asked.

Will motioned in Cody's direction. "Surprise him. There was a reason I sent him to the weapons area."

Several thoughts passed through Zack's mind as he put two and two together. "Whoa wait, I can tell you what he's gonna do!" Zack said. He did not like Will's plan at all. "He's gonna freak out!"

"Maybe, but that's the point of the test," Will said as he started to move away towards the area of the store where Cody had gone. "He has to learn to think on his feet. Skynet never gives you anytime to reconsider a decision. A second thought means you're dead."

"You know, there are other things you can do, he isn't ready." Zack said in a sour tone. When Will said nothing, Zack spoke again "I think you're enjoying these 'lessons' you're giving us."

Will froze, rounded on his heels and swiftly made his way back to get right in Zack's face. The look on Will's face showed that Zack's words had hurt Will deeply. "Let me be absolutely clear," Will said as he stared directly into Zack's eyes. His voice tone also grew quiet. "Any and every action taken against you two that causes you fear or pain also causes me a great deal of pain…but it's the world you live in now. I can't shelter you from the fear and pain you're going to face from here on out. The things I do, I do because I have to get you two prepared to survive."

"Whatever" Zack said, looking briefly away from Will's piercing stare.

"Have you already forgotten the machine's last attack against us?" Will asked in a cool tone. "Do you really think it cares if either of you are ready for it or not? Do you think it cares if you're afraid? It will kill you the first chance it gets! I'm not doing this for my own amusement so don't you think for one second that…" Will caught himself, realizing he was getting a little too upset with Zack. He turned to go again.

"Why do you care so much about us?" Zack asked quietly, stopping Will again. "Who are you to us in the future?"

Will said nothing at first. "It just my mission," he said finally and started off again.

"So, what do you want me to do while you're gone?" Zack asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think we're safe for the time being so it would probably be best if you remained here are continued gathering food for us," Will said.

Once Will had rounded the corner and was out of sight, Zack left his carts and began shadowing Will. There was no way he was going to let Will put Cody through his first test and not be nearby in case Cody failed and needed his support.

Cody had gone straight to the sporting goods section and had begun looking for any weapons the store had for sale. He spotted the guns and was now looking for a way to get them out of their case. He knew he'd also need to find the ammunition for the guns somewhere as well. He was so intent on his task that he didn't notice Will creeping around near him.

Zack arrived close to the spot where his brother was busy looking for their weapons just as Will arrived. He was close enough to see Cody but far enough away that Cody wouldn't see him. He watched silently as Will snuck behind Cody into the storage area located behind the gun counter where, a few seconds later, Will disappeared from Zack's view. Zack's eyes scanned around, from trying to find Will to watching Cody. Another look told him that Cody had knocked the lock off the gun case and was now checking a few of the guns.

Silently Will took one of the guns from the storage area behind Cody. Next he found a place where Cody wouldn't see him and loaded the gun. Will smiled when he noticed that Cody's attention had picked up at the sharp sound from him cocking it. Good Cody, Will thought to himself as he took careful aim. He aimed the gun so the bullets he fired would purposely miss Cody by a safe margin, but still hit close enough so Cody would think he was being shot at by the terminator.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

The initial shock of the bullet impacts caused dust and debris to fly up and caused Cody to lose his balance and tumble back.

"Will! Zack! It's here! Help!" Cody yelled as loud as he could as he gave the guns a quick glance before scrambling to his feet and taking off for the next aisle.

A few more shots hit further down the aisle, causing Cody to stop in his tracks. Initially, Cody froze, unsure of what to do. Finally, Cody turned around and bolted back towards the counter, nearly falling in the process due to the speed he flung himself around with. Cody screamed again as another gunshot just missed him as he flung himself down behind the gun counter.

"Zack! Will! Where are you!? It's going to kill me!" Cody screeched out in pure terror.

Glancing up, Cody tried to grab one of the handguns out of the counter to defend himself, but he was too scared to do anything useful. His shaky hands fumbled with the gun before dropping it several times. Finally a shot hit the self behind him, causing Cody to yell before dropping the gun. He coiled up into a ball and braced for the inevitable. Cody thought his life was over as he heard more shots ricocheting off the glass on top of the counter. He was sure that any moment, "the machine" would kill him.

The moment, however, never came. The shots stopped, and suddenly someone reached down, grabbed him, and helped him up. Through teary eyes, Cody tried to figure out who it was as he caught his breath. It was Will.

"You failed your first test" Will said solemnly.

Cody just looked at him with an expression of relief, anger, and confusion all wrapped into one. Then he just burst out crying. Zack ran out from where he had been and hugged his twin.

"I see you not one for following orders" Will said to Zack.

Zack just focused his attention on calming Cody down.

"I told you he wasn't ready for this Will!" Zack snapped.

"You're right, he wasn't," Will replied. "Neither of you were ready for any of this! No one was. But it's here…and you have to become ready or you're both dead! I'm sorry it has to be this way, it's how things are."

"YOU SCARED HIM HALF TO DEATH!" Zack yelled, looking up. "NOT TO MENTION YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"

Will shook his head as he put his hand on Cody's shoulder. "Cody, you were never in any real danger. I purposely made sure those shots would miss you. The point was for you to think on your feet. You were surrounded by weapons and I wanted to see if you could think clearly enough in a situation where you're in danger to come up with a solution and either fight back or escape." Will took a breath before continuing as he made sure Cody understood what he said. Cody still continued to cry, but despite his tears he was listening. "In this war, it will be the split second decisions that will keep you alive. It's something you must learn and get better at. With Skynet, there is never a next time."

Zack opened his mouth to snap at Will again, but was cut off by Cody. "You're right," Cody said softly finally. Zack's jaw dropped when he heard this.

"Cody-" Zack began.

"Zack, it's ok" Cody said as he wiped his eyes. He looked from Will to his brother and back. "Thanks for protecting me, but Will's right. The only reason we're still alive after that last attack was because Will was able to think quickly to get us away from the terminator. Otherwise we'd be dead right now"

Zack scruffed as he crossed his arms across his chest. A few moments of silence passed.

"Both of you grab a 45 and the ammunition, next you're gonna learn how to handle a weapon effectively," Will said. The twins looked at him before exchanging glances. Will stood up and helped them load up. "Come on, let's get our stuff and get out of here."


	6. Target Practice

**AN: Once again, we do not own the Suite Life or Terminator, nor the characters from each, only our OC's. Enjoy!**

_August 31_

_Sayre, PA_

Outside the demolished Wal-Mart, Will and the twins loaded their supplies into the SUV. Zack was finishing up loading the food while Will and Cody worked together to load up the other non-food supplies they had taken from the store. Occasionally, Zack would pause to try and remember Will's instructions for which items of food stayed behind and which items were okay to load. They had grabbed so much so fast from the store that they realized, upon arriving at the SUV, that not all of it was going to be able to go with them. As Zack picked up the last item, a bag of apples he had personally filled from the produce section, he stopped again. _What did he tell me about these again? _Zack thought to himself, racking his brain. Despite his efforts though, Zack drew a blank. With a sigh he shrugged and tossed the apples into the backseat where he could get at them later and shut the door.

As Will and Cody neared the end of their task, Will turned the key slightly inside the vehicle and noted that it was now close to 10 am. He figured they should probably get going within the next hour or so, but he still had enough time to get in another lesson with Zack and Cody.

"Good," Will said as he helped Cody place the last item into the back. "Time for lesson two: handling a weapon."

"Ugh, we're tired. Do we have to do it now?" Zack whined.

"Yes," Will said simply. He then began to explain to the twins everything he knew about firearms, shooting, and taking care of a weapon. He showed them how to holster both the rifles and handguns, as well as how to move quickly while carrying them. Finally, Will gave each of the twins a target to aim for so each could practice shooting.

After some practice, both Zack and Cody were able use a handgun somewhat effectively. Not surprisingly to Will, Zack picked up the technique quickly and soon he was able to hit each target Will gave him. Although Cody took longer and needed help from both Zack and Will, eventually he got to the point where he could hit most of his targets as well. Despite eventually doing well, he never quite managed to lose the look of disdain he had on his face regarding the various weapons as he handled and fired each one. Weapons were certainly not Cody's thing, but he knew he would have to embrace them in order to survive.

Soon Will decided it was time to move on to the rifles. He told each of the twins to pick up a 45 caliber rifle. "Hold the weapon steady, use your body to brace it. The weapon will kick back and smack you if you don't control it properly. Now Zack I want you to hit that light and Cody, I want you to hit the "A" on that Wal-Mart sign. Fire whenever you're ready."

Each of the twins held their weapon up and took aim at their target. Zack did his best to brace his weapon, but when pulled the trigger, he didn't expect the kickback to be anywhere near as strong as it was. When the butt of the weapon kicked back, Zack felt like someone had punched him hard. Zack grunted in pain as he set the weapon down. Also to his dismay, the shot had missed its target.

Cody didn't fare any better. His arm shook slightly under the weight of the weapon he was holding. He didn't expect it to be as heavy as it was. Eventually, Cody was able to somewhat line his weapon up. Also, like Zack, Cody had underestimated the amount of kickback the weapon would send into him. Along with the painful shot to his body from the butt of the rifle, Cody stumbled back and fell down, causing both Zack and Will to chuckle. "Thanks guys," Cody muttered as his picked himself up.

"Told you so," Will replied with a smile.

"Yea yea," Cody muttered as he massaged the sore spot on his body next to his shoulder.

Will shook his head and looked at the twins. "A 45 caliber has some punch to it," Will said. "But with the weapons you're going to haveta learn how to handle, starting you on anything less would have been pointless. The kickback is something you'll get used to, but be warned, it will still get you whenever you're not ready for it. Now I want each of you to reload and shoot at those same targets again."

Each of the twins loaded their weapons again and took aim. This time, each tensed up to brace their rifle as they shot. Although both once again felt the hard punch, both also noticed they had a lot more control over their shot. Once each had fired, Will handed each twin another cartridge and had them shoot again. "Here," Will said, handing each twin three more. "I want you to fire and reload three rounds in the next 45 seconds. If you can do that, we'll go to 30 seconds. Then 15 seconds. Once you can do that, I'll show you rapid fire from a magazine."

"Can we take a break?" Zack said massaging his sore body.

"After these drills," Will replied shortly.

"I think my arm's going to fall off," Zack said coolly. Pulling his shirt over, Zack noticed a large bruise had formed next to his shoulder from the gun's constant impacts.

"Come on Zack, tough it out, I think I'm actually starting to enjoy this," Cody said, smiling slightly to himself at the fact he might finally be doing better at something than Zack that didn't involve his brain. With his mind somewhat preoccupied with his prideful thoughts, Cody absent-mindedly pulled the trigger before he had the rifle properly braced against his body. The butt of the rifle kicked back, smacking the boy right in the mouth. Almost instantly pain exploded throughout Cody's lower face. Cody dropped the rifle as his hands flew over and held his now aching jaw. Tears formed in Cody's eyes as the taste of his blood coated his tongue from the rivers of red flowing out of his mouth and down the curves of his chin.

"Cody!" Zack said, rushing over when he noticed what had happened.

"I'm…I'm fine," Cody said angrily through clenched teeth as he tried to stop his tears. He wasn't mad at Zack, just at himself for his carelessness.

Zack understood this without a word and looked over at Will again. "So…can we take a break…NOW!?" He asked standing his brother up and helping him wipe the blood off his face.

Looking at each of the twins, Will sighed as he acquiesced to Zack's request. "Fine, we should probably get back on the road anyway. Let's load up the guns and we'll get going." With that, Will joined Zack in making sure Cody was ok, after which all three of them put the weapons in the SUV and drove off.

While they were driving, Zack's stomach decided that it wasn't going to wait any longer for some food. Reaching into the back, Zack grabbed a bag of Doritos and an apple from the bag he had placed in the backseat with him. He then began stuffing his face. Zack offered an apple to Cody also, but Cody refused it because of the pain in his mouth. "You sure Cody?" Zack asked with a mouth full of food.

"Uh…yea," Cody answered. "I'm really not hungry." Cody cringed as he talked. Truth be told, even if his mouth hadn't felt like it did then, the image of Zack's eating killed his appetite. Will, preoccupied with driving and navigating, didn't seem to notice.

"We're gonna haveta fill up soon" Will said after a couple of hours with a sigh as he checked the gas gauge. They hadn't filled up since leaving Massachusetts and Will was actually very impressed that the SUV's could go as far as it had on one tank of gas.

"Hopefully we'll come across a roadside gas station or something coming up soon," Cody said. They had passed very few gas stations so far on their journey and the few they had passed had either been out of fuel or demolished.

After driving a little further, the low fuel warning light came on. Soon after that however, Will spotted the remains of a road stop with a built in gas station, causing all three of them to let a sigh of relief. Will concluded that, due to the terrain, the stop had been protected from excessive damage from the blasts. As they neared the road stop, Will also noticed that there were several tanker trucks nearby. "We'll stop and fill up here," Will said. After filling up the SUV's tank by rigging the pumps on the tanker, Will and the twins also filled up several containers they had taken from the Wal-Mart with gasoline.

"You think this is a good idea?" Cody asked. He gave the gas filled containers that Will and Zack were now putting into the trunk a look of uncertainty.

"It will mean less stops," Will said shaking his head. "Besides, there's no guarantee later on that we'll always be this lucky and be able to find a source of fuel."

"Ok," Cody muttered with a sigh, obviously not convinced.

After putting the last of the containers into the back, Zack looked out over the road. They seemed to be at the end of the mountains now and were heading for a long stretch of much flatter highway. He grinned as he got an idea. "Hey Will," Zack said. "Mind if I drive for a while?"

Both Will and Cody looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're not old enough," Cody said. "So you can't."

"And who's going to tell on me?" Zack said.

Will scratched the back of his neck. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to give you guys a driving lesson."

"WHAT!?" Cody said, his mouth dropping. "We can't drive, we're not sixteen yet."

"New world now buddy," Zack said putting his hand on Cody's shoulder.

Will smiled. "Yea Zack, go ahead and drive. Just keep it under 60 so we don't risk crashing into something." With that, Zack practically flew into the driver's seat as Will got in the passenger side. Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Cody got in the back seat and strapped himself in with both seatbelts.

After a quick lesson from Will on operating the SUV, Zack slammed the gas pedal down, pressing them all back against their seats. The world flew by them and several times Zack even got the SUV airborne after passing over a bump or small hill in the road. Will gave Zack occasional coaching but to Cody's dismay, he seemed to actually be enjoying it when Zack did something Cody considered dangerous. Several times Cody's stomach gave a lurch as he eyed everything they passed as a possible death sentence. After awhile, Will turned around. "You wanna try Cody?"

"Not really!" the terrified twin replied.

"Come on Cody," Zack said, looking at Cody in the rearview mirror. "Live a little. Who knows, this may be your last chance to do something like this."

"Well…I…"

"Come on Codes, seriously."

"Fine," Cody said after a few seconds, finally giving in.

"Ok Zack," Will said. "Good job, how about you pull over here so you two can switch?"

Zack nodded and followed Will's instructions. He pulled the car over and turned it off. Next he and Cody switched seats. Once Cody made sure everyone was buckled in, ignoring the resulting eye rolls from both Zack and Will, he set his mirrors and gave his panel a complete look over.

"You know Cody," Zack said with a sarcastic tone. "I'd kinda like to get going before I turn 30."

"Yea," Cody said. "Except most accidents-"

"That's nice," Zack said, cutting Cody off. "But it would be nicer if you would just DRIVE!"

"All right Zack, take it easy…ready to go Cody?" Will asked, stepping in as he rubbed his head. "Ok, turn the key and put it in drive."

Cody did as he was told before hitting the gas pedal. Slowly but surely, the vehicle began to move as Cody carefully scanned his full surroundings. Both Zack and Will shook their head when they realized about five minutes later that the SUV was never going to go above thirty five miles per hour.

"Ok, Cody," Will said in a controlled tone. "You know you can go faster right?"

"I know," Cody replied.

"So…why don't you?" Zack said leaning over the seat.

"You know," Cody said. "No one likes a backseat driver."

"And with the way you drive," Zack said. "No one likes the one in the front seat either!"

After a few more minutes, it seemed like Will had also had as much as he could take. "So Cody, you're doing great, but we are kinda in a hurry, and since I really don't feel like having the terminator catch up with us, I'm gonna take over now ok? Good job though."

"Ok," Cody replied as he slowed down to a stop and hopped out.

As Zack watched Cody get out, something strange began to happen. He started feeling sick to his stomach. He tried to force the feeling down but the nausea continued to grow stronger. "Hey Codes," Zack said. "You can take the front seat, I'm gonna stay back here and lie down."

"You ok Zack?" Will said, looking back at him.

"Yea," Zack said. "Just gonna lie down for awhile."

"All right," Will replied with the slightest edge of concern to his voice as he climbed into the driver seat. Once he and Cody were in the SUV, he started the vehicle and drove.

Zack tried laying on his left side, but he continued to feel sicker and sicker. "Hey is the air on?" Zack asked, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

"Yea," Cody replied. "It's been on."

"Ok, just wondering."

Cody looked back over the seat and also noticed Zack was beginning to sweat. Zack's face also looked like he could puke at any second. Something else Cody noticed was that each time the SUV hit a bump, Zack seemed to get sicker and dizzier, like a kid on a roller coaster. "Hey Zack, you sure you're ok?" Cody asked in a concerned voice.

"F-fine." Zack's head rolled around on his shoulders. "Hey Will…think we can go a little slower?" In the next few moments, it became painfully obvious to Cody that Zack was desperately trying to prevent himself from throwing up.

Glancing up in the rearview mirror, Will saw Zack's state and slowed down a few miles per hour. "How's that?"

"Better," Zack said with a forced smile.

For awhile they drove on in silence. About every minute, Will would glance up in the mirror to see how Zack was doing. Cody would also turn around often to check on his brother.

"Hey Will," Cody said. "Uh, can we pull over for a minute?"

"Why?" Will asked. He looked up in the rearview mirror and instantly knew why Cody wanted to stop. Zack's face looked somewhat green, and his hands were over his mouth. Without wasting another second, Will hit the brakes, pulled over, and opened the rear doors. "Time to get out Zack," Will said as he and Cody helped Zack get up.

"Why'd we stop again?" Zack asked as his eyes danced around. "I'm fi-" Before Zack could finish his sentence, his stomach gave a hard retch. Almost instantly he felt his stomach's contents racing up his throat. Instinctively, Zack put his hands over his mouth to try to hold it in, but wasn't entirely successful. Vomit leaked out and slowly streamed down his hands. The puke covered his taste buds with a bitter taste. His nose also quickly became filled with the raunchy smell, causing his stomach to lurch again, launching another round of vomit up his throat. This time, the contents of Zack's stomach came up with such force that he was unable to stop any of it.

Luckily, Will and Cody had gotten Zack out of the SUV just in time, and none of his vomit got inside. Will handed a towel to Zack who quickly nodded his thanks before becoming involved in another round of violent heaves.

"Zack!" Cody said, obviously greatly concerned. He stood by helpless, knowing there was nothing he could do to help Zack. All he could do was just stand there and wait for Zack to stop puking.

"I'm ok," Zack said after a few more moments. "Probably just something I ate."

Cody looked to Will, hoping he would know something to do to help Zack.

"Maybe," Will said.

"Yea," Cody nodded. "Wal-Mart doesn't exactly have the best stuff."

"Are you feeling any better now Zack?" Will asked.

Zack wiped his mouth again. "A little I guess."

"You should be fine now that it's all out of your system," Will said. He then thought for a few moments. "Zack, what exactly did you eat?"

"Well, I had some Doritos, some candy bars, some of that chef Boyardee stuff in those small cans…oh and two apples" Zack replied.

"Two apples, are you sure?" Will said becoming slightly alarmed.

"Yeah, why?" Zack asked becoming alarmed himself by reading Will's reaction.

"Because," Will said. "There was a reason I said not to load stuff from the produce department. Judging by how this has just rapidly come down on you, you might be getting radiation sickness."

Cody's eyes widened, as his stomach leapt into his throat. With all he had in him, Cody hoped that his ears had misheard Will. "Radiation sickness? It can't be…" he said.

"Cody, it could very well be," Will said. "Neither you or I ate anything from the produce section and we're fine. The apples were probably contaminated."

"We thought you said not to load anything from produce because it might be spoiled," Cody said.

"And that may possibly be all it is, some spoiled apples…but if that isn't it, if it is radiation poisoning…" Will began, talking to them at first but then turning from them to talk mostly to himself. "Zack must have put the apples in the truck without me seeing…STUPID!" he added angrily as he slammed a fist into his other hand and grabbed his head.

"Hey, don't call him stupid!" Cody said, getting angry himself.

"Not him, ME! I should have been paying better attention!" Will said as he turned back around to face them, obviously furious with himself.

"Well, regardless of how we understood it, you did say not to include anything from there and yet, Zack did anyway" Cody said.

Zack looked from Cody to Will and back. "Ok guys, the blame game aside, what's going to happen to me now? What if it is radiation sickness? I'll get better right? I mean how can I be around in the future if-" he said as his stomach suddenly felt like it was going to retch again. It turned out to be just a dry heave.

Will just shook his head as if to say he didn't know. There were way too many unknowns now to be able to give a proper answer.

"Zack," Cody said, his eyes beginning to brim up with tears yet again. "You are going to get better...you'll be fine…besides…even if it is radiation poisoning Will said that Katherine lady will be able to help you." He said, clearing his throat as he spoke to try and stave off crying again, knowing it would only make Zack feel worse. "You will be fine." he added.

As much as Cody wanted to believe what he was saying, reasoning that not only did many people survive radiation sickness in the past, but that Zack had to be around in the future to do whatever he was going to do to help the human resistance, he also knew that the timeline of events could have been altered somehow. He tried to shove the thought of Zack dying from his mind, but it still lingered in the corner of his brain as a possibility.

_You have to be fine…if I lose you too…_ he thought to himself.

"Look, guys, we don't know for sure. It could still be that the apples were only spoiled. It is, however, just one more reason why we should try to get to Crystal Peak as soon as we can," Will said interrupting Cody's thoughts. With that, he checked Zack again before helping him back into the SUV. Cody chose to sit in the back so he could watch over Zack. As night fell, Cody glanced out the window and saw a torn up sign go by that said. "Welcome to Columbus, Ohio."

"Hang on Zack," Cody said with a hand on his sleeping twin. "You'll get through this…I know you will."

Will found a secluded spot by a demolished warehouse and parked. Soon Cody succumbed to his fatigue and joined his brother in a deep slumber. Will, intending to keep watch throughout the night, eventually found himself unable to keep his eyes open and ultimately nodded off as well.


	7. Move!

**AN: As normally stated (because I'm not sure if you have to do it at the beginning of every chapter or not) we own nothing except our own OC's. Enjoy!**

_September 1_

_Columbus, Ohio_

When the gloomy light of day came the destruction of the city became apparent. Unlike Binghamton, this was a major city with skyscrapers. The utter devastation was mind blowing. The formerly elegant art-deco towers and the futuristic looking buildings of the Nationwide Insurance complex now resembled steel skeletons reaching freakishly into the sky. It was slow going through the city with Will having to stop often when they encountered a pile of debris too large for the SUV to pass over. He would have to get out and climb atop the pile or some other structure near it so he could figure out their next best course. The SUV currently sat parked before one such mound of debris and Will was busy climbing up to the upper level of what had once been a large parking garage. He had tasked Cody with going into some of the less damaged downtown stores immediately surrounding the truck to see if there were any additional items they could find to assist them.

Zack's condition had not improved after the nights rest he'd had in the back of the SUV. His energy level had decreased even more and his temperature had gone up. Both Will and Cody were becoming more and more certain that Zack had indeed fallen victim to radiation sickness.

Despite instructions to remain resting in the back of the SUV, he now joined Cody inside a hardware store where the twins quietly moved around looking for anything that could be of any use to them. Zack propped himself up against a workbench and gave suggestions to Cody on things they might need. Following this advice, Cody had gathered a small pile of things they could use to fix up the SUV should any problems arise with it. He had a socket and ratchet set, open ended wrenches, torque wrenches, jack stands, spark plug tools, and various things to fix the tires all assembled in his pile.

"How do you know so much about what tools you need to fix a truck?" Cody asked as he came to stand by Zack at the pile of tools.

"Well, believe it or not, dad actually taught me some things about it…before him and mom split and he went on the road that is" Zack replied as he wiped more sweat from his forehead. He did not look good at all.

"And you remember it? We were like six when that happened" Cody replied.

"Yeah, it's funny what you remember and what you don't from that age" Zack said, leaning over a second as another wave of nausea passed over him and then left.

"Where was I?" Cody asked.

Zack put a hand on his little brother's shoulder "where do you think, in the house reading" he said smiling.

"Oh, right" Cody replied looking sheepish.

"I wonder if dad made it" Zack said.

"I hope so, without mom and dad, going through this post apocalyptic life is really going to stink" Cody said.

"Yeah…but we will make it you know…even if he's gone too" Zack replied.

"As long as we have Will and…each other" Cody said, feeling even more worried about Zack's condition as he looked at his brother's features.

They heard a noise suddenly from the back part of the store. They instantly ducked down behind a workbench and were silent, listening for it again. When they heard nothing they came out of hiding and resumed their sweep of the store.

"Awfully skittish aren't we?" Cody said, more stating a fact than asking a question.

"Well, Will says we need to be" Zack replied.

Cody moved over towards a large piece of drop cloth that hung down from a collapsed part of the ceiling near the back of the store and tugged on it.

The cloth dropped off to reveal the T-800 standing behind it. It had apparently come through the missing back wall of the building. Cody just looked up at it, freezing like a deer in headlights. Zack ran up and grabbed his brother's arm and the two raced for the front doors of the store. With a loud slamming noise, the machine jumped off of the ledge it had been standing on and began moving after them.

The twins burst through the doors and tore off up the street. The machine crashed the doors down and followed. It broke into a run as it slowly drew a weapon from somewhere within its skeletal structure and pointed it at its fleeing targets.

"Will! It's here! Help!" Cody yelled as he and Zack sprinted as fast as they could down the street.

They weren't sure if Will heard them or not, they just kept running. Zack's energy, however, was sapped almost as soon as he had began running and he started to stumble over things. Cody looked back briefly and saw the machine's sawed off shotgun pointed in their direction and quickly threw himself and Zack down in front of a large piece of fallen debris as it discharged. The shot barely missed them.

"Crawl in there!" Cody yelled as he spotted an opening in a demolished building just big enough for them to fit through.

The twins moved through the opening and began crawling as fast as they could through the confined space inside. Outside, the T-800 came to a stop next to the piece of debris and scanned the hole where the twins had crawled in. It knew instantly that its own dimensions were such that it could not follow them and it began scanning for another way into the building. Before it moved on it fired several shots into the hole hoping to hit one its targets.

Inside the hole, Zack and Cody had made their way around a corner and the shots slammed harmlessly into the debris behind them. Cody realized that the machine would eventually find its way into the rubble after them. He also knew that Zack was fading fast. His brother had barely enough strength by then to keep pulling himself along behind him. He would have to hide Zack somewhere and lead the machine away from him. The tunnel of collapsed debris they were in suddenly widened out and, with just enough sunlight coming in through the cracks above their heads, Cody realized they were in the remains of a clothing department store. He dragged a barely conscious Zack over behind a cash register and knelt down beside him. He lifted his head just enough to peer over the edge of the checkout counter and looked around. On one side of the store was an opening that looked like it led back to the street. On the other side, off in the distance, was another opening that looked to lead to a back alleyway. Above them, they heard the crunching noise of the machine climbing atop the structure.

Leaning in and whispering directly into his brother's ear Cody began to tell Zack his plan.

"Zack, there is an opening just over there that leads back to the street. I'm going to go the other way and cause it to follow me. Once I'm gone and you're sure it left after me, head out that way to the street. If Will is coming he'll find you. Think you can make it?" Cody said.

Zack's head lolled around on his neck, he seemed barely able to keep his eyes open. A few seconds later he seemed to come back around enough to nod at Cody. Just before Cody was about to dart off, Zack grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He turned Cody's head so he could whisper into Cody's ear.

"What about you? That thing…will be after you…have to stay with you" Zack said.

"You can't stay with me this time, you're in no shape to run from that thing and I can't drag you along with me. This is the only way…don't worry, I don't intend to let that thing catch me" Cody replied.

"But how…will you fool it…it'll know we…separated" Zack said.

Cody peeked up again over the edge of the checkout counter and, spotting something in the distance, smiled to himself.

"Leave that to me, now you gonna be able to get to the street?" Cody asked.

"Yes" Zack said.

The brothers locked eyes briefly and for the first time in their lives neither of them knew if they would ever see the other again.

"Good luck" Zack said.

"You too" Cody replied.

Cody ran out from behind the counter and headed straight for the object he had spotted a moment before. Grabbing it, he ran through the opening, making sure to be as loud as possible. Once outside he ran down the alleyway. On the pile above, the machine spotted Cody dragging what looked to be Zack along with him and began pursuing. Cody looked back to be sure he had gotten the machine's attention. When he saw it coming down off the pile towards him he turned the corner onto an adjoining street and picked up his pace, tucking the light weight mannequin he'd grabbed under his arm so he could run faster.

"Let's split up, it can't come after both of us!" Cody shouted as loud as he could while simultaneously flinging the mannequin away as hard as he could.

It flew from him and landed out of sight behind another pile of debris. The machine had heard Cody and, when it came around the corner and saw only one of its targets, it assumed the other one had ran off a different way. Deciding to pursue the target it currently had in visual contact, it continued to run after Cody. It once again produced the shotgun from where it was kept within its chassis and leveled it at the fleeing boy. It fired another round from the shotgun which impacted the corner of a building just as Cody disappeared around it.

After turning the corner, Cody could see an enormous skyscraper leaning against another one up ahead. He decided his best bet was to try and get inside the building and loose the machine there. Looking back for just a fraction of a second, Cody noticed that the machine was a good 300 feet behind him but closing fast. He darted left and right around various piles of rubble, making him a very hard target for the pursuing cyborg to hit. Each time the machine went to pull the trigger it lost its target around the bend of the next pile. The side street eventually became an alley which led up to what must have at one time been a back entrance to the skyscraper. He jumped down into the hole that led inside the structure and immediately located some stairs. It was awkward running up the stairs at an angle but he managed to move along at a pretty good pace. Behind him he could hear the machine smash through anything that got in its way as it too entered the stairwell.

After about thirty floors Cody had to stop and put his hands on his knees. Sweat poured off him and he knew he couldn't keep going up the stairs indefinitely. He knew the machine would just keep following him up until he ran out of floors. Devising a plan, he suddenly picked up a softball sized chunk of cement off the floor. He took it and, as he held the stairwell door open to the floor he was on, he pitched the cement as hard and as high as he could up into the continuing stairwell. As quietly as he could he stepped inside and closed the door. He didn't wait to see if the machine would buy it. He ran down the sloping floor of the office he was in and slid to a stop under a cubicle located by the far wall.

Out in the stairwell, the machine raced up the stairs and detected the piece of cement, which was now falling back down the stairs, and calculated that its target was still heading up. It ran up and past the door where Cody had fled. It had bought it, but only for a brief time. A little ways up it realized its target was no longer in the stairwell, tore off the door to the floor above where Cody was, and went in.

In the office below Cody could hear the machine's footfalls as it systematically searched every inch of the office above for him. Cody looked around the office and noticed he was near the level where the tilted skyscraper was making contact with the building next to it. A few more floors up and it seemed he would be able to simply walk from one to the other. Eyeing the large desks in the office, he noticed they were on wheels and suddenly came up with a new plan.

When the machine was nearly directly above him Cody began running back up the incline to the stairwell he had just come from. In his haste, however, a large copier toppled over with a loud noise. Upstairs, the machine's advanced sound detection system picked up on this and it instantly launched itself into a great leap. When it came back down it crashed through the floor, landing directly behind the fleeing Cody. It pulled out its shotgun but before it could fire the boy was out the door and back into the stairwell.

Instead of starting down the stairs he turned and went up. He ran up a flight and then stopped when he was out of sight. The machine rammed through the door and immediately started down the stairwell, the shotgun pointing down over the side. Cody waited a few seconds more before he quietly began creeping up the stairs again. When he had ascended what he hoped was the right amount of floors he turned and went through the door into the office there.

He walked over to a desk and moved it out into the main hallway of the office. At the end of the hallway was a row of windows, which amazingly, like the windows in the office he had been in a few floors below, had somehow survived the partial collapse of the building intact. He got behind the desk and began to run with it down the incline of the floor. It picked up greater and greater speed until it hit the windows and sailed through into the other building. The machine, now stopped and scanning a few floors down in the stairwell, heard the crash and immediately started back up. Cody ran to the breach and hopped inside the other building, scrambling up and over the desk in the process. Now on level ground, it was much easier to move around. He ran out of the office to a set of elevators. A door to another set stairs was right nearby. Behind him he heard the T-800 crashing down through the office in the building he had just left. Quickly, Cody ran to the stairwell door and propped it slightly open with some nearby debris. Then he ran back over and attempted to open one of the elevator's doors. The adrenaline pumping overtime through his veins gave him the strength he needed to pry the doors open just enough to squeeze inside and get on the access ladder. Then, standing on the ladder, he used his foot to push the doors back shut. Outside, he heard the T-800 come out of the office and walk over to the stairwell door. Cody heard the door open and close.

_I'm getting pretty good at faking that thing out_ Cody thought as he stood quivering in the pitch blackness of the elevator shaft. He knew he couldn't go down the ladder to the base of the building to get out. Besides not being able to see any potential hazard inside the elevator shaft, he knew the machine would likely be waiting for him when he got down there. He figured he'd have to go back the way he had come, into the original leaning building and down its stairwell. He clung to the ladder and waited. When he continued to hear silence from the room beyond the doors he decided it was now or never and grabbed an edge of the door. It opened a lot harder this time since standing in the shaft had allowed his adrenaline level to drop off a bit. Once outside he crept back into the office and was walking back towards the desk he had shoved into the room when the machine appeared in the doorway behind him and raised its shotgun.

Cody yelled out in fear and dropped down in front of the far side of the desk in time for a large chunk of it above his head to be blown off.

Running up into the other building he began hauling other desks out and shoving them back down in an attempt to block the machine from coming after him. As he got the first desk moving the machine appeared in the breach and aimed the weapon at him. The desk hit in time and the machine was knocked off balance. By the time it had regained its footing Cody had sent another desk careening down and the force of the impact once again toppled the cyborg before it could get off a shot. When Cody had successfully shoved a total of four desks, several chairs, and many large pieces of other office equipment into the breach and he could no longer even see the T-800, he turned and ran for the stairwell.

Upon reaching and opening the door to the stairwell Cody stumbled and fell on his face. He moved to get up but realized his body was not responding. All the running he'd done, the strain of opening and closing the elevator doors, and the effort of launching several items of heavy office furniture and equipment at the machine had taken its toll on Cody. He lay there in the doorway and tried to catch his breath. He looked back into the office behind him and noticed his wall of desks and other items was beginning to move. The machine was coming through. An image of Zack suddenly flashed in his mind. His brother needed him. If Cody died here he knew Zack would give up. His twin would not be able to go on without him. He had to survive, not only for Zack but because of their supposed importance to the future. From somewhere deep inside him Cody found a sudden strength and rose to his feet. He began to run as fast as he could down the stairs. After fifteen floors, however, he realized he wasn't going to make it all the way down. The initial burst of strength he had felt was wearing off fast. Just when he was ready to collapse again and give up he nearly ran headfirst into Will who had been cautiously ascending the stairs in search of them.

"Will! Thank God!" Cody said.

"Where is it?" Will asked Cody.

Before Cody could respond they heard the machine enter the stairwell and start down.

"Move!" Will said and he and Cody took off down the stairs.

Will, quickly realizing how weak Cody was, grabbed him by the arm and all but dragged the boy down along with him. They jumped down several stairs at a time, knowing the machine was likely doing the same. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity they ran out of the stairwell, out of the back entrance to the building, and over towards the SUV which was parked nearby. As he ran towards it Cody spotted Zack looking anxiously out the backseat window at him. Cody had never been more happy to see Zack in his life. He and Will dove into the front seats just as the T-800 emerged from the building. As Will peeled away it aimed its gun and shot the back right window out of the vehicle.

They drove along in silence for several minutes before Will finally found his voice and spoke first.

"So, did you have any luck finding any supplies?" Will asked a ghost white Cody.

Cody just looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Will nervously chuckled, realizing his attempt at humor hadn't been successful.

Cody was about to ask him if he'd been able to find a way out of the city but it became apparent as they shot past the street the hardware store was on that he had. He drove the truck due south while Cody climbed in the back and tended to Zack. His brother was awake enough to take in some water which he did while Cody held his head up. Then Cody got some much needed water for himself. About 10 minutes later they arrived at a place called Rickenbacker Airport. At one point in the past it had been an air force base but had gotten to old and had been converted into an airport for smaller civilian aircraft. Will pulled the truck inside a large hanger that looked to have survived the blast from the city relatively unscathed. Inside was a row of Cessna airplanes. When Cody found he too could speak again he asked a rather obvious question.

"What are we doing here?"

"Apparently we need a faster mode of transportation" Will replied.

"You know how to fly!?" Cody asked.

"Only small planes and helicopters, most of the jet aircraft we have in my time were piloted by higher ranking officers…I never knew why John Connor took the time to show me and a few others how to fly, but I guess I do now" Will said.

Will tried the first plane and found it both full of fuel and operational. He started the engine and let it idle as he and a slightly re-energized Cody began transferring their supplies from the SUV to the plane. Zack was definitely in no condition to help as he was just recovering to the point where he could move at all. As they worked, Cody asked Will "won't that thing catch up to us before we get to take off?"

"Nope…I found the vehicle it arrived in and blew the engine. Unless it finds another car, which is doubtful back there, it'll be at least the better part of an hour before it can make it here" Will replied.

When Will and Cody had everything loaded up in the plane, including Zack, Will drove the SUV along the runway looking for, and clearing if necessary, any debris that could prevent them from taking off. Then he drove the truck over behind some distant shacks and hid it. Meanwhile, Cody stood watch at the hangar entrance. When Will arrived back at the hangar he instructed Cody to get into the plane. After a few more moments Will hopped in the pilots seat and began to taxi the plane out of the hangar. He took them out along the taxiway, turned, and lined up at the end of the runway. As Will moved his hand to engage the throttles, the T-800 appeared right in their path, gun leveled at them.

"Huh, I guess it did find a car" Cody said.

"Only one thing to do…brace yourselves guys" Will said.

He slammed the throttles forward and the plane shot directly towards the waiting cyborg which began firing round after round at the plane. With a little bit of fancy maneuvering to the right and left, Will somehow managed to keep the machine from hitting any vital parts of the plane. As they passed, the T-800 reached up and tried to grab on to the wing but only succeeded in getting close lined off its feet and slammed to the tarmac. The plane rose up into the sky and climbed normally.

"Oh no! The other planes! It will probably get one and fly after us" Cody exclaimed.

"Nope…remember those plasteek bombs we assembled at that Wal-Mart? I set one of those in the engine compartment of each plane. They should be going off right about…" Will began as he banked the plane a bit to get a better look. Below a bright flash of light erupted from inside the hangar, blowing the walls out and collapsing the roof. "…now" he said.

Cody was impressed. Will must have done it in those few moments Cody and Zack were sitting in the idling plane waiting for him to get in. Then his face took on a doubtful look yet again.

"After how quickly it found another car to come after us, I'm guess that's not going to be a huge problem for it" Cody said.

"Anything is possible I guess" Will said.

The plane continued to climb. From above they got a better grasp of just how much damage had been done to Columbus as they flew past downtown. Then Will pointed the plane west. They were out of danger for now, or so they thought.


	8. I Hate Flying

**AN: Thanks to all our readers for your previous reviews. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

_September 1_

_Over western Ohio_

"Where are we headed first?" Cody asked as he watched Will check the plane's instruments for what seemed the hundredth time.

"I'm going west. According to the recon maps I studied, this highway should help us get to California," Will replied. "So since I'm not the most experienced pilot in the world, we'll follow it until we need to land and resupply."

As they continued forward, Will flew in a straight line over the highway instead of following its curves, making sure the whole time to keep sight of it so they wouldn't get lost. Above them was a consistent blanket of gray. Will referred to the cloud layer as "the ceiling," and explained to Cody that the reason it was much darker was due to all the smoke that had mixed in it from the devastated cities below. Looking off in the distance they saw a large plume of smoke billowing from the ground and adding to the layer.

"That must be Indianapolis over there" Cody said.

As they approached the ruined city, the already low ceiling above them began to lower even more and visibility became a factor.

"We're gonna have to climb up above this ceiling or we'll risk hitting the wrecked skyscrapers" Will said as he moved the throttle forward and began climbing.

As they entered the thick layer of smoke the plane began to shake violently, like it was going over an unpaved road filled with bumps. It began to bank left and right as Will struggled to keep it level.

"What is it!?" Cody asked Will once he caught his breath.

"Turbulence," Will replied as he continued to fight to hold the airplane level. "…I think."

"You think?" Cody asked in a stunned voice as the plane took a small dip and then rose back up again. Looking back, Cody glanced at his pale faced twin. The zigzag pattern they now flew in as they climbed wasn't doing him any good. Zack's head lulled from side to side as sweat rolled down the sides of his face.

"Zack," Cody said softly under his breath. "Please just hang on, please. We'll be there soon and Kate will help you. Just please hang on."

Suddenly the plane dropped again, much faster than before, catching Cody off guard and causing him to almost hit his head on the airplane ceiling. Will pulled out of it again and Cody could tell the man was very tense.

"Ok, we gotta get out of this, I'm taking us back down" Will said.

"What about the buildings?" Cody asked.

"We're just gonna have to take our chances and try to dodge around them" Will replied.

The plane shot out of the ceiling layer and they could see they were passing over the outer fringes of the city. Cody's eyes widened to the size of golf balls and his heart began to hammer as the freakishly disfigured skyscrapers suddenly emerged from the smoke filled ruins like ghosts in a nightmare. Will immediately launched into a rapid series of swerves and banks as he had literally seconds to choose a path for the plane to avoid each building. Cody realized that he was holding his breath as he continuously glanced from the window to Will, to Zack, then back out the window again.

Will continued to dodge the ruined skyscrapers as they flew towards the city limits. In order to safely pass one of the last few buildings, Will had to fly the plane straight into a thick, dark gray column of smoke. The whole world around them seemed to just disappear as gray filled all the airplane's windows. Cody knew that without being able to see what was around them, unless they were clear of the city by then, their chances of hitting something just increased to a frightening level.

The turbulence increased and it wasn't long before the plane was once again swerving side to side as Will now tried his best to keep the plane level. It took nearly all of Will's concentration to attempt to interpret all the gauges and needles bouncing around in front of him. As before when they had been up in the ceiling layer, Will couldn't use the outside world to help him navigate. Once again he was forced to rely solely on his instruments to keep the plane from entering a position that could possibly cause it to either tumble out of the sky or nose dive into the ground. The heavy turbulence they were encountering wasn't helping the situation at all as it made most of the tiny instruments in front of Will all but useless.

"Will," Cody asked in a barely audible as he swallowed deeply. He remembered reading about pilots who had crashed because they tried to fly through this kind of situation without proper training. Judging by the level of concentration on Will's face and the constant swerving of the airplane, Cody figured that Will hadn't gotten that training either. "How much longer until we can see the ground again?"

Will didn't reply, but Cody could tell Will was also hoping that they would break out into the clear again soon.

Cody looked back at Zack again. His face was worse than before and Cody could swear it was a shade of green. "Just hang on Zack," Cody said in the calmest voice he could. "It will be over soon. Please just hang on."

"Uh Will, Cody said as he turned his attention back to the front of the plane, he began to get a very unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. Although he still couldn't see outside, he could tell the airplane was accelerating. 'Will…" Cody said again in a more urgent tone. He opened his mouth to continue but remained silent as a new picture filled his vision. As the airplane exited the smoke, the world came back into view, just not as Cody would have hoped. The outside picture told them that they were careening towards the ground in a downward spiral. "Will!" Cody repeated a third time in a very frightened voice as his breathing rate continued to grow.

"Got it," Will answered as he corrected the plane and leveled it back out. After another sigh of relief from both of them, Will checked the compass, reacquired sight of I-70, and corrected the plane's course. Looking over at Cody, Will grinned slightly. "I think we'll try and go around the cities from here on out. Keep us outta the clouds."

Cody opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He just shook his head and put his hands up in an "I could have told you that" motion. He took another breath. "Zack's getting worse," Cody said as he looked back at his twin again.

Will nodded. "We check him over again when we land."

Cody agreed silently as he looked back at his twin again. Over the course of the next two hours, the plane ride was silent with the exception of the hum of the airplane's engine. Since they were once again over the open country, Will could keep a fairly straight course over the highway without worrying about hitting anything. Along the way they passed to the north of a much smaller city. Despite it not being a huge metropolis like Columbus or Boston, it too burned with fire and smoke churned skyward from it. Watching the city slide past out Will's side window, Cody sighed and shook his head sadly.

"Skynet really made sure to hit everywhere didn't it?" he said.

Will only nodded, the look on his face a mixture of sorrow for all the dead and pity for what Cody and his brother now had to see before them.

Eventually Will spotted more smoke in the distance from what he hoped was the next big city and adjusted his course to head towards it.

"We're going to have to land soon," Will said as he looked down at the airplane's two fuel gauges. Both needles bounced slightly back and forth but seemed to hang around the quarter tank mark.

"Um, Will," Cody said as a new thought came to his mind. "Uh, where do you plan to do that…for that matter…where are we? I mean I know we're over the highway but it might be nice to know how far along we and if it's still the one we're supposed to be following."

Will looked thoughtful for a moment. "Uh…" he began. He looked around for some sort of landmark to help him get his bearings. The day's dying light didn't help the matter as visibility continued to decrease. "Uh…" Will repeated, getting a look from Cody. A moment later a large river came into view. The river seemed to stretch forever to the north and south, making several winding turns. Up ahead and to their left was the very large city that Will had been steering the plane towards. "Somewhere by a large river."

"I'm gonna go with St. Louis," Cody said affirmatively as he concluded that the river was the Mississippi River. As they drew closer, he saw two large columns of metal that seemed to converge. Crumbling pieces of concrete also coated parts of the columns. On the ground between the columns was another piece of twisted metal covered in concrete that looked like it had once connected them. "Yep that's St. Louis." Cody said affirmatively.

"How do you know?" Will asked.

"There is," Cody said. "Or rather, there was the Gateway Arch." Cody pointed out the window.

"It's pretty hard to see right now, but it's over there."

"Ok," Will said as he turned his head to look for the remains of the airport figuring the runways should still be somewhat usable. "So then where's the airport?" Will said, mostly to himself. A moment later the left fuel gauge dropped to zero and stayed there.

Cody saw this also and doubled his effort to help Will find a landing strip. Both he and Will had ruled out the possibility of landing on the highway due to the mass of now motionless cars that blanketed the concrete below them. "Uh…I think I see…no that's another highway."

He squinted as he scanned the ground but the limited light made it very difficult to make out the features below them. As they looked, Will made sure to keep the plane well away from the downtown area in order to avoid another round of skyscraper dodge ball.

"There it is!" Will said as he turned the plane towards what seemed to be an open area with the remains of a tower and a few buildings.

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"O-ok then," Cody replied in a nervous voice. Fear slowly began to creep in him once again. For the next few seconds Cody's wide eyes were fixated on the right fuel gauge. The needle showed some life but was sitting dangerously close to the empty line. They didn't have much time left, and no room for a second attempt if they were wrong.

"Yep, that's the airport," Will said in a confident voice. "Come on baby," he continued as he patted the dashboard, just a little longer. Come on." He turned the plane to line up with what looked to be the runway. In the minimal daylight left, all he could see was the outline of the pavement.

Cody shifted around in his seat as sweat steadily dripped off him. His eyes constantly hopped back and forth between the nearly empty fuel tank indication and what he hoped was the runway. "Come on," Cody said in a barely audible voice. "Come on, make it."

As they drew closer, Will lowered the first set of flaps and began to descend towards his target. "Yep that's the runway," Will remarked with a small smile.

"Good, I just want to get back on the ground," Cody said as he watched Will begin to slowly move the throttle back to slow down.

The moment Will's hand touched the throttle however, the engine made two loud puffs then fell completely silent.

"Will…" Cody said, knowing what the silence meant; they were now flying a glider. The question burning Cody's mind however,and turning his stomach into a huge, twisted knot was, could the airplane glide just far enough to make the runway? Cody anxiously watched the world passing him as it grew closer and closer. His wide eyes were fixed on the runway as his hands tightly gripped his seat as if he was trying to pull the plane up higher. Suddenly Cody saw a bunch of orange metal strewn out all over the ground in front of the runway. It seemed as if the plane was just barely feet above it and seconds later would crash right into it. Cody slammed his eyes shut as he yelled in fear.

A moment later there was sound of scraping rubber instantaneously followed by a slight bump.

"Cody you can open your eyes now," Will said with a small laugh as he hit the brakes.

"Cody?" he shook Cody's shoulder as the airplane stopped.

In response to Will's touch, Cody yelled again. Will reached over and playfully shook the petrified boy back to reality. "It's ok Cody, we're stopped."

"Huh?" Opening his eyes, Cody realized they weren't moving anymore and were sitting in the middle of the runway at St. Louis International Airport. He collected himself and shot Will a look of disgust in response to Will's laughter. Finally after shaking his head, Cody let out three words.

"I hate flying."


End file.
